'Every death was avoidable': From an unborn baby to an grandmother-of six, the 72 people who died in Grenfell

4 September 2024, 13:18 | Updated: 4 September 2024, 15:28

A damning report has laid bare how the Grenfell Tower tragedy unfolded - singling out "dishonest" firms, "indifferent" landlords and the government's "failure to act".

The blaze, which was the worst in Britain for more than a generation, was accelerated by deadly combustible cladding and many of those who died had been told to stay in their flats.

Inquiry chairman Sir Martin Moore-Bick said "every death was avaoidable"

Victims of the blaze ranged in age from an unborn baby to an 84-year-old woman.

- Logan Gomes (floor 21)

Marcio Gomes, father to stillborn baby Logan, told the inquiry: "He might not be here physically but he will always be here in our hearts, and will be forever."

- Denis Murphy (floor 14)

The 56-year-old's sister said: "Once you had met Denis, you would never forget his warmth, wit, cheeky smile and love of life."

- Mohammed Amied Neda (floor 23)

The 57-year-old's son said: "My dad loved life and loved meeting people. He would get along with almost everyone. He was a man of deep integrity and fairness."

- Joseph Daniels (floor 16)

His son Samuel said of the 69-year-old: "The events of that night took his life and all traces of his existence from this world. He stood no chance of getting out and this should never have happened."

- Mary Mendy (floor 20)

The 54-year-old's niece said: "She was warm and kind, she welcomed everyone into her home. Grenfell Tower was a place all her family and friends could find shelter if they ever needed it."

- Khadija Saye (floor 20)

The 24-year-old's father said: "She was very gentle, very kind and friendly. Her burning passion was photography, encouraged by her mother, Mary Mendy."

- Debbie Lamprell (floor 19)

The 45-year-old's mother Miriam said: "You rarely saw my Debbie without a smile. People took to Debbie because she was a friendly, easy person."

- Maria del Pilar Burton (floor 19)

Nicholas Burton, husband of the 74-year-old, known as Pily, said: "She was a unique, beautiful, exceptional person until this tragedy had taken it away."

She is considered the 72nd victim of the fire, despite dying in January 2018, after experiencing a stroke.

- Rania Ibrahim and her two children Fethia Hassan, four, and three-year-old Hania Hassan (floor 23)

The 31-year-old's husband, Hassan Awadh Hassan, said: "I'm not just standing here crying because my wife is gone. My wife and my kids are very lucky. Because the way it's going, I wish if I go like them. I wait for my day."

- Choucair family (floor 22)

Nadia Choucair, 33, her husband Bassem Choukair, 40, their three children Mierna, 13, Fatima, 11, and Zainab, three, died along with their grandmother Sirria Choucair, 60.

Hisam Choucair, the son of Sirria, said: "She sacrificed everything for us so we could prosper and be a proper part of the country she'd adopted as her home."

Of his sister Nadia, he said: "We all loved Nadia. She was beautiful, but she was also wise."

Of his brother-in-law Bassem Choukair, he said: "He was an excellent father: kind, loving, considerate, always wanted the best for his children."

Of Mierna, he said: "She loved school. Loved learning. She wanted to be either a doctor or a lawyer. The last time I talked with her about it, she couldn't decide."

Of Fatima, her aunt Sawsam said: "Fatima was a great gymnast. She had the body for it and wanted to become a professional gymnast when she grew up."

Of Zainab, she said: "We all loved Zainab. When I would come back from work Zainab was so happy to see me."

- Hesham Rahman (floor 23)

Mr Rahman's nephew Karim Mussilhy said: "My uncle used to express himself through poetry on social media and he wrote some beautiful poems."

Reading from one, he quoted: "Remember my presence before my departure. To see a smile on your face when I'm gone, a prayer from your heart."

- Anthony Disson (floor 22)

The 65-year-old's son Lee said: "He was a very special person and I would like him to be remembered for who he was when he was alive. He was always there to help anyone, no matter who you were or where you came from."

Read More: LIVE: Grenfell Tower Report says blaze was caused by 'decades of failure' by those in power

Read More: Met police vow to go through Grenfell report 'line by line' to 'secure justice for those who died'

- Zainab Deen and Jeremiah Deen (floor 14)

The family of Zainab Deen, 32, said: "Zainab had it all; she was beautiful, smart, warm, caring and a confident and outgoing young woman."

Of her two-year-old son Jeremiah, they said: "He was loving, full of life, liked playing football and loved exploring and adventuring."

- Ali Yawar Jafari (floor 11)

The 82-year-old's son Hamid Ali Jafari said in a video tribute: "I think the happiest moment he had was when my son was born, because he was attached to him a lot."

- Gary Maunders (floor 19)

Ana Pumar, the mother of the 57-year-old's two youngest children, said: "Gary was always the life and soul of everything we did and anywhere he went. Gary had a lively personality and a great sense of humour which was enjoyed by any company he found himself in."

- Marjorie Vital and Ernie Vital (floor 19)

The mother, 68, and son, 50, became moulded together in the fire, a surviving son of Marjorie said.

He said: "It reminded me, as a child growing up he was constantly in my mother's arms, and when they were fused together it symbolised to me their level of closeness that they had, that umbilical cord, that my brother still relatively had intact."

- Victoria King and Alexandra Atala (floor 20)

The family of Ms King, 71, and her 40-year-old daughter said: "They were, and are, still together and that is what is important. The fire is a tragedy for all of us."

- Tuccu-Ahmedin family (floor 19)

Mohamednur Tuccu, 44, his wife Amal Ahmedin, 35, and their three-year-old daughter Amaya Tuccu-Ahmedin, all died. Amna Mahmud Idris, 27, was visiting her cousin Ms Ahmedin at the time of the fire and also died.

Amal's family said: "Amal was the most caring and loving person you could ever meet. Her capacity to love was unmatchable."

Of Amaya, three, they said: "She was so smart and a bit cheeky, and we all realised pretty early on that she was definitely her mother's daughter."

Mohamednur Tuccu's sister-in-law Winta said: "Mohamednur was such an amazing person. He would treat me like I was his little sister. He would buy us gifts every time he'd come round and talk to us as if we were his friends."

Ibrahim Abdulkerim said of his wife, 27-year-old wife Amna Mahmud Idris: "She was support to me at all times. Not only me, but everyone who know her. She was the light of her family."

- Miah-Begum family (floor 17)

Kamru Miah, 79, Rabeya Begum, 64, Mohammed Hamid, 28, Mohammed Hanif, 26 and Husna Begum, 22.

Mohammed Hakim said of Mr Miah: "My father was a humble, loving, caring, honest, kind and loyal man."

Of his mother Ms Begum, he said: "She was a fierce mother, protecting her children from all harm, giving individual attention and care to each of us. She was deeply loved and adored by all her family and anyone that knew her."

Of his brother Mr Hamid, he said: "Hamid was the most incredible, fascinating person you could ever wish to meet. His fun-loving personality always shone through, even when he wasn't feeling his best."

Of his brother Mr Hanif, he said: "Whoever crossed paths with Hanif was immediately captured by his bright, warming smile. His gentle and kind approach was so unique and made everyone around him feel comfortable and at ease."

Of his sister Ms Begum, he said: "Husna was the epitome of adventure and spirit. She marvelled at the universe and had a burning desire to travel and experience as much of the world as possible."

- Fathia Ahmed Elsanousi, Abufras Ibrahim and Isra Ibrahim (floor 23)

Their family said 73-year-old Fathia "was a pillar of the Sudanese community in London. She was highly respected. She was a source of wiseness and jolliness to the community".

Said Essaouini, the husband of her 33-year-old daughter Isra Ibrahim, said: "I will never find no-one like her, never ever, ever a woman like Isra again, and I am ripped up to pieces, only God knows how much I'm ripped up."

The brother of Mr Ibrahim, who he called Fras, said he was a very brave man who loved cooking.

- Ligaya Moore (floor 21)

The 78-year-old's friend said: "She was so proud to live in Grenfell. She would always say every time we walked past: 'Nenita, that's my building, 21st floor. It's a big building and I love it so much, even though I'm alone there, I love seeing it every day'."

- Vincent Chiejina (floor 17)

The sister of Vincent Chiejina, 60, said: "I think he was also quite good at looking after people who were quite vulnerable like himself, so he would never reject anybody just because they were less privileged than himself."

-The El-Wahabi family (floor 21)

Father Abdulaziz, 52, wife Faouzia, 41, and children Yasin, 20, Nur Huda, 16, and Mehdi, eight, all died.

Mr Abdulaziz's family said: "He was a kind, loyal family man. He had an infectious and caring personality."

Of Mrs El-Wahabi, her family said: "Faouzia was a lively, friendly woman who loved her role of being a mother and a wife."

Of Yasin, a relative said: "He was a sociable and popular person. He would always help neighbours with their bags and open doors."

A cousin said: "Nur Huda was admirable and her bright smile left a deep print on everyone's hearts."

Mehdi's teacher said: "One of his strongest qualities was his ability to make us laugh and smile, we knew we could rely upon him to lighten our mood and brighten our day."

- Khadija Khalloufi (floor 17)

The 52-year-old's husband, Sabah Abdullah: "I am not trying to make my wife an angel or something, but to them (her children) she was more than an angel."

- Jessica Urbano Ramirez (floor 20)

The 12-year-old's sister said: "The tragedy took Jess away from us two weeks before her 13th birthday, two weeks before we could see her all dressed up, just like she always did her entire life, enjoying any opportunity she had to look her best."

- The Kedir family (floor 22)

Hashim Kedir, 44, died with his wife Nura Jemal, 35, daughter Firdaws Hashim, 12, and sons Yahya Hashim, 13, and Yaqub Hashim, six.

Relatives of Hashim said: "You were intelligent, smart, hardworking, hilarious and caring. You were always there for everyone and anyone who needed help."

Of Firdaws, a family member said: "She turned out to be a beautiful, intelligent and eloquent girl with a beautiful voice."

"Nura was a positive-minded, devout and courageous mother and wife", a relative said.

Of Yahya, a relative said: "Yahya was a very grateful boy. He always wanted to make sure that everyone around him was OK. He loved laughing so much. He would do anything to make everyone laugh."

"I was always very fascinated by little Yaqub, by his energy, his physical fitness and his sharp mind," a family member said.

- Steve Power (floor 15)

The children of Steve Power, 63, said: "Our dad was nothing short of a character. He left some sort of impression on everyone, like Marmite. The majority loved him."

- Eslah and Mariem Elgwahry (floor 22)

Mariem's brother said: "My sister was confident and strong. She wasn't afraid to speak up or speak her mind, and was very secure in her words. She had an inner confidence and had grown into a strong and ambitious woman."

Of his mother, he said: "My mum touched many hearts and was a strong woman who raised Mariem and I on her own since my father passed."

- Berkti Haftom and Biruk Haftom (floor 18)

The sisters of pregnant Berkti Haftom, 29, said: "Our sister Berkti was a brilliant mum. She gave so much love to her sons."

Her 12-year-old son Biruk's family said: "Biruk entered this world greeted by love, the love of his mother's face, and we are sure he left this world looking at the love of that same beautiful face. These thoughts sustain us in our darkest hours."

- Gloria Trevisan (floor 23)

The 26-year-old's mother said: "Gloria was a girl full of life. She really loved life and, although she missed the sun, she missed the food and she missed Italy generally, she was very happy for the work and the job that she had found here, so she was happily settled here."

- Marco Gottardi (floor 23)

The 27-year-old lived on the block's top floor with his partner, Gloria Trevisan.

His father Giannino Gottardi, told Il Mattino newspaper his son called at 3.45am, then again just after 4am.

Mr Gottardi said: "In the second call, and I can't get this out of my head, he said there was smoke, that so much smoke was rising."

In the first report he was listed as having been a "sound, grounded person" and someone who was "very calm and sensible".

- Sakina Afrasehabi (floor 18)

The 65-year-old's daughter said: "My mother was well liked. She loved the children on her floor and always gave them sweets. She was everyone's grandma."

- Hamid Kani (floor 18)

A relative of the 61-year-old said: "Hamid lived to love and loved to live. He would have been especially proud that out of the tragedy of Grenfell Tower there has been an outpouring of love, togetherness, and support across the nationalities, religions, regardless of differences, class or culture."

- Isaac Paulos (floor 18)

The five-year-old's father said: "My son was beautiful, a little boy with so much potential. I will never forget Isaac's big, beautiful eyes, his calm look."

- Mohammad al-Haj Ali (floor 14)

The 23-year-old's friend said: "I could see that he was special. One of a kind. He was a very compassionate person who cared about people. He was a perfectionist; everything that he did, he excelled."

- Raymond "Moses" Bernard (floor 23)

The 63-year-old's sister said: "My beloved Ray was my modern day Moses, my hero. Ray always had a smile on his face. He knew how to love without expecting anything in return."

- Fatemeh Afrasiabi (visiting her sister on 18th floor)

A daughter of the 59-year-old said: "She loved her children, she would do everything for us."

- The Belkadi family (floor 20)

Farah Hamdan, 31, her husband Omar Belkadi, 32, and children Malak Belkadi, eight, and six-month-old Leena Belkadi, all died.

Mrs Hamdan's father said of his daughter and her husband Omar: "They were the best people. They really loved each other. You can see them in the photos, you can see how they were. It's very obvious that they loved each other."

Of their children, he said: "God bless their souls. They used to call me 'Jiddi', which means grandpa. That was my name."

- Abdeslam Sebbar (floor 11)

The 77-year-old was recovered from the floor where he lived. His family did not pay tribute to him publicly during commemorations at the inquiry in 2018.

- Sheila (floor 16)

The 84-year-old lived on the 16th floor. A friend, Gary Allen, said he had known her for 20 years, and described her as a "truly beautiful person" and "love, pure and simple". While formally known as Sheila Smith, her family have requested that she is referred to simply as Sheila.