The Metropolitan Police officer overseeing the Grenfell Tower fire investigation has said the recovery process will take at least six months and many victims may go unidentified.

Detective Superintendent Fiona McCormack said the search to recover all those who died in the fire continues.

She went on to say that the conditions of the fire mean that some of the victims will go unidentified, as well as there being "hidden victims".

The new footage shows the extent of the damage caused inside the building

"I know that there is a fear the death toll is a lot higher and I do not want any hidden victims of this tragedy," she said.

"There is a terrible reality that we may not find or identify everyone who died due to the intense heat."

Police have estimated 79 people are dead or missing presumed dead as a result of the tragic fire which raged through Grenfell Tower on June 14 but acknowledged fears that the real death toll is higher.

She confirmed that the fire was started by a faulty Hotpoint refrigerator.

Cladding destroyed on the exterior of the Grenfell Tower building

Speaking nine days after the fire started, she added: "The working conditions down at Grenfell Tower are difficult and distressing in many ways.

"I have personally spoken to the teams down there and I totally understand their commitment in ensuring we recover everything we can from that tower and provide it back to the families of those that died in the fire.

"Such is that devastation at the scene, this may take until the end of the year and there is a terrible possibility that we may not find or identify all those that died in the fire, which is why I appeal to those that know that people are still missing to please come forward.

"We will do everything we can with the utmost sensitivity and dignity we want to provide the best possible answers for all those that have been so deeply affected by this tragedy. "

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