A man who lives close to Grenfell Tower and knew families in the building has claimed that 42 bodies – including those of children and old people – were found huddled together in one room after the block was engulfed by a devastating fire.
The concerned and clearly frustrated local resident was filmed talking about the disaster in a video published to YouTube on Sunday, four days after the horrific blaze in the 24-storey block in west London.
With the blackened shell of Grenfell Tower visible in the background, the man claims that firefighters made the harrowing discovery when they entered the building, citing a ‘friend’ in the brigade as his source of information.
He said: “I’ve got a friend who works for the fire brigade here, yeah? Yesterday on the phone he said they found about 42 bodies in one room, all hiding together. No-one knows that.
“It’s only because we know the brother, he’s a fireman, that he told us this – but he can’t tell you lot that.
“He can’t come out because he’ll probably get the sack or something. But he said they found 42 bodies in one room, bruv, in one room. From children to old people.”
Police confirmed this morning that the official death toll currently stands at 79, although that number is expected to rise as the ‘investigation’ continues.
It has been widely reported that identifying the true number of casualties is a lengthy process due to the intensity of the blaze, the chaos on the ground as survivors escaped and the lack of any accurate number of people in the building when the fire started.
Accusations the media are ‘hiding the real death toll’
Clearly frustrated by the information being released around the fire, the man also accused the media of ‘lying’ about the death toll, which police confirmed had reached 79 this morning but is expected to rise.
“For you to get the proper and the real stories you must go to the people who live here,” he said.
“What they’re saying on the news and what you’re seeing down here – two different stories. It’s two different stories. You’ve got to go to the people that live here or have their families and loved ones that have been lost in there. They’re the people who are going to tell you the truth, because the rest ain’t gonna tell you the truth.”