More fire victims identified as death toll rises

● Emotional scars as disaster site falls silent to honour dead and missing

Three more victims killed in the Grenfell Tower disaster have been named, after Scotland Yard announced the death toll had risen to 79.

Ya-haddy Sisi Saye, also known as Khadija Saye, 24, Abufars Ibrahim, 39, and Anthony Disson, 65, all lived in the 24-storey block, which was destroyed by a huge blaze last Wednesday in west London.

Five people have been formally identified, including 23-year-old Mohammad Alhajali and a woman whose family do not want her name to be released.

The rest are missing presumed dead, Metropolitan Police Commander Stuart Cundy said yesterday.

There were emotional scenes at the site in north Kensington at 11am as firefighters halted work to join residents for a minute’s silence held to remember those who lost

0 Nicola Sturgeon observes a minute’s silence to honour the Grenfell Tower victims while firefighters also remember the dead their lives and all others affected by the blaze.

The silence was also observed at government buildings across the UK.

Mr Cundy said the death toll may still change, but not as sig- nificantly as it has in recent days, adding: “The awful reality is that we may not be able to identify all those that died” inside what is now a blackened and charred shell.

He fought back tears as he told reporters at New Scotland Yard about the scene inside the tower.

Footage from inside the building has been released, showing the extent of the damage. Mr Cundy said police had received some 70 pictures and videos of the fire from the public and urged them to send more as officers investigate the blaze.

He would not be drawn on the specifics of the investigation of the fire, including whether anyone had been arrested or raids carried out.

He said that a team of some 250 investigators were now working on the case, with a primary aim being to identify victims and inform their loved ones as soon as possible.

Following reports that some families had been offered alternativeaccommodationas far away as Preston, a Number 10 spokeswoman said Prime Minister Theresa May stood by her promise that all those affected will be rehoused within three weeks either in Kensington & Chelsea or a neighbouring borough, unless they want to move elsewhere.

The Downing Street spokeswoman rejected Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn’s call for empty homes near the fire scene to be requisitioned to house families., saying: “We do not support proposals to seize private property.”

Meanwhile, Scottish tennis star Andy Murray promised to donate his prize wwmoney from this week’s Aegon Championships at Queen’s Club to the victims of the fire.