Emergency personnel who fought the horrific fire that consumed London’s Grenfell Tower have reportedly been banned from divulging the real death toll.
Although the official death toll currently stands at 80, many more are missing and assumed dead.
Authorities are being accused of downplaying the total of those who perished in the blaze and a Fire Brigades Union rep confirmed the number is expected to soar.
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“We know the death toll will be higher than the official figure – and we’re not talking about one or two higher. There’s a strong possibility we are talking about three figures.”
Another firefighter told The Sunday Mirror that an ongoing criminal investigation gagged them from discussing the real number with reporters.
“We’ve been told by our management don’t speak, ideally. The coroner has said it could obstruct the investigation.
“I don’t know how it can – what’s happened has happened, but that’s what we’re being told.”
Authorities have said they can only release exact figures when they are certain – a process which could take months.
But David Lammy, the Labour MP for Tottenham, expressed his concern for survivors and loved-ones of the missing.
“Firefighters confirm larger numbers than 80. Survivors are also suggesting numbers well in excess of 100,” he said.
“And yet 17 days after the fire we have no list of survivors, the police have said we will have to wait until the end of the year for numbers.
“It’s causing huge anxiety for people who want closure as they wait for news of their loved-ones and it feeds deep mistrust amongst the victims and survivors themselves.
“Trust is at rock bottom and the community need reassuring that the police, local authority and central government are doing all they can to at least come up with an estimation of how many people were in Grenfell Tower and how many survived.”
Singer Lily Allen accused the media and government of massively downplaying the estimated death toll in the days after the blaze.
“If we are talking about bringing reality into these people’s lives, I think what people would really like is a more honest count of how many people have actually died in this event, how many people have been killed,” she said.
“I feel like the government are trying to micro manage people’s grieving here.
“Seventeen? I’m sorry but I am hearing from people the figure is much closer to 150 – and that many of those people are children,” Allen, who lives nearby, added.
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