The commemorative hearings section of the inquiry into the fire which killed 72 people concludes with tributes to the six remaining victims
The inquiry has yet to resume. Bernard Richmond QC, counsel to the inquiry, said Nabil Choucair, who had been giving the presentation when the woman was overcome, was still “extremely shaken” by what had happened. Richmond said Choucair was finding it “very difficult” to return to the room and resume his tribute and asked the judge for 15 minutes to sit with Choucair in a private room.
The inquiry hears that Nabil Choucair is still unsettled after the incident, which saw a woman overcome during his video tribute to six members of his family. As a consequence, there will be a further 15 minute break, it is announced.
It appears the inquiry is about to resume.
The inquiry has been suspended after a woman collapsed during the video tribute to the Choucairs. The woman, believed to be a relative of the Choucairs, is currently being treated by medics. All men were asked to leave the inquiry room so she could receive assistance.
Nabil Choucair says in the video tribute that losing six members of his family is like “sinking in quicksand with a cancer that is eating us from the inside”.
Let the world know that all of you died sheltering, trying to protect the children by having them in the middle of you. You all will be missed so very dearly but not forgotten.
She was great, very educated, talented.
The commemoration to the Choucairs, the final one of the inquiry, is from Nabil Choucair, son of Sirra Choucair and brother of Nadia Choucair.
It begins with a video, which we are told contains an image of people in their flats.
They were like any other family but they were caring. They loved everyone around them ...They would always go out of their way to help everybody.
She had an amazing heart, very soft, very kind.
The final commemoration of the inquiry will be to six members of the same family, the Choucairs.
Sirria Choucair, 60, a hospital caterer who lived on the 22nd floor in a flat neighbouring his sister, died along with her daughter Nadia, 33, a nursery teacher, son-in-law Bassem, 40, a supervisor at Marks and Spencer, and their three daughters, Mierna, 13, Fatima, 11, and Zaynab, three.
Next is a tribute to Isra Ibrahim, 33. The tribute is from Said Essaouini, her husband.
They met in 2014 in an internet cafe when he had come out of a difficult relationship.
We fell in love. She brought out the best in me and made me a better person ...she was a gift from God. I loved her and she loved me back. Isra Ibrahim, the most beautiful woman I ever met in my life. I loved her more than I loved my mum.
I believe she could have escaped from the fire if she wanted to but she would never leave her mum.
We spent our time like children, always holding hands and playing around ...I am ripped up to pieces, only God knows ...I feel like I lost my world ...every Friday I go to the cemetery and sit down and talk to her for two hours.
There is now an additional tribute to Gary Maunders, from his sister Tammie Maunders, read by solicitor Mark Scot.
She says the pair squabbled as they were “both mouthy, LOL.”
I think about how you must have felt that awful night, which I can’t imagine ...
You’ve left a big hole in our lives and it will never be the same, especially at Christmas...
I don’t show how I feel all of the time but I think about you every day.
Khadija Khalloufi managed a pharmacy in Morocco after leaving school, the statement says.. She later moved to the Netherlands and then London.
She was lonely at first in London because she missed her family and could not speak English.
She was a person who never ceased helping us emotionally as well as financially, especially after the death of my father.
She was a strong, independent woman who worked hard to help her family as much as she could.
It was as if she knew this was the last goodbye.
You cannot imagine the helplessness and pain when no-one is telling you what has happened and why.
My sister’s memory is very dear to us and we will do all we can to preserve and protect it as it is all we have left.
Brother
She was there for us whenever we needed her but none of us could help her escape the fire.
The afternoon session will commence shortly.
Here is a summary of this morning’s proceedings and other Grenfell-related developments. Proceedings resume at 2.15pm:
A friend of Fatameh Afrasiabi, whose name I didn’t catch, says:
She was a great woman, she was not like the ordinary people. She was very kind, the sympathy she was showing to everyone was incredible... An image I can’t forget is her smiling face.
In the video, we also hear from all of Fatemeh Afrasiabi’s daughters.
One daughter, Raheleh says:
My mother had a passion for painting, she was a very good painter. She used to make very beautiful paintings, creatively ...
I wish I still had your kind and warm embrace.
She was not a sort of person you could forget ...Her laughter, her beautiful eyes are in my mind.
The next set of tributes are to Sakineh Afrasehabi’s cousin Fatemeh Afrasiabi.
Her son Mohammed Samimi, a filmmaker, has made a video. Speaking through an interpreter, before the video begins, he asks the inquiry to remember his father who he says could not come to the UK because his visa application was refused. He says his father wants to be able to visit his wife’s grave.
She always encouraged me to study and create arts.
The sound of that sewing machine and her singing voice are still in my mind.
Sakineh Afrasehabi’s son says a few words.
The night when she was burning, she told me not to come, tried to look out for me even though she was being burned by fire and smoke, she told me not to come. In one sentence she taught me something I couldn’t find in any books - the meaning of life ...If you want to know the meaning of love - unconditional love - look on the face of your mother.
She was a big fan of the Queen, says her daughter, who recalls when she got her citizenship, she said: “Elizabeth’s my queen now.”
She used to talk to birds and helped people in need.
Our mum lost her life not only the fire ...but to the corporate negligence ...Grenfell was gross criminal negligence. If we settle for this, we deserve it.
There is now a tribute to Sakineh Afrasehabi, being read by her daughter Nazanin Aghlani.
She was very funny and had a wicked sense of humour.
She was a vulnerable disabled person ...The fear of [her] iving so high ...was always in the back of our minds.
Now El Alami Hamdan talks about Leena, who was just six-months-old. Weeping profusely, he recalls bumping into his daughter, who had Leena in a pushchair with her, on the day of the fire. He remembers playing with Leena, covering her with a blanket, while she smiled and pretended to be sleeping.
She hugged me, and I didn’t know that that night she would die...That was the last day, the last hour...
Death has separated us and left me torn into pieces. Since this happened both my left arm and my left leg are really painful.
Bernard Richmond says the next part is going to be really difficult as it is about El Alami Hamdan’s grandchildren Malak, 8, and Leena, who was six-months-old.
Malak’s grandfather says:
She was always smiling, she didn’t cry much.
They are my children, I [will] never forget them.
El Alami Hamdan says his son-in-law Omar Belkadi was “a faithful man”.
He was really honest, he didn’t lie.
El Alami Hamdan says of his daughter Farah:
People loved her, you can see her in the photos [being displayed on the screen]. She was the best.
She used to respect everyone, whether they are Muslim or not. She was giving importance to everyone, whether they are old or young.
She was amazing and our relationship was really good ...She is really dear to my heart. She respected me ...Even her husband, actually, he calls me uncle, he did everything for me, whatever I ask for, he says ‘yes’. He was the best man ever.
Everyone loved him. May Allah blessed his soul. I used to feel he was my son ..You never hear the word ‘no’ from his mouth.
Now, there are commemorations to four members of the same family who died: Omar Belkadi, 32, his wife Farah Hamdan, 31, and their daughters, Malak Balkadi, 8, and six-month-old Leena Belkadi.
There is nobody in the neighbourhood who doesn’t know Farah ..she was respectful, she was also respecting everyone. She was also a good student and she was a teacher.
While there is a short break before the commemorations resume, I thought it was worth sharing this:
As the first Grenfell Aniversary approaches, the Grenfell Health and Wellbeing Service have published information on helpful things to do. The poster is available to download from our website https://t.co/MzDv1Lv5yNpic.twitter.com/TV1CxBqJ3k
Now there is another tribute to Raymond Bernard in a statement by from his daughter.
In the statement, read by another family member, it refers to his long flowing locks when he was young and how he was a “free-spirited lion”.
Never will Moses be forgotten. We miss him dearly.
Now there is a tribute from Raymond Bernard’s son Julian Burton. He is present but feels unable to read the statement himself, we are told.
The thought of never seeing my dad any more is heartbreaking. I loved my dad very much...In my eyes, he was the greatest man I ever saw on this planet in many ways ...he was an incredible man.
Bernadette Bernard names seven other Grenfell residents who took shelter in her brother’s flat on the night of the fire.
We know that he would have given comfort to each of them before they took their last breath and departed this world ...
Ray was snatched from me and my family in the fire. It has been difficult to come to terms with the loss of my brother...
My days and nights are filled with thoughts of my beloved brother.
This is your mother... I still love you, you will always be in my thoughts... Love you still.
Sadly where there is no justice there can be no peace. I will never forget. I will never forgive.
Bernadette Bernard describes how her brother always looked out for her, including ordering her back to school when he caught her bunking off one time.
When the family decided to return to Trinidad, Bernadette and Raymond were the only ones to remain in the UK.
Life is to short, try to love those around you, be happy and enjoy the life you have on earth as life, as we know, can be snatched away anytime.
Ray always had a smile on his face. He knew how to love without expecting anything in return.
The commemoration to Bernard is being given by his sister Bernadette. In a breaking voice, she introduces members of her family on the stage including her partner Michael, her “friend and sister” Jackie, her daughters and granddaughters.
She begins:
My brother ...meant different things to the different people in his life ...but to me he was my Ray, a brother I admired for his strength, his kindness, his patience and above all, his belief that good would always prevail over evil.
My brother was...my rock, my go-to person in times of trouble...We shared a deep love, respect and understanding for each other, coupled with an unbreakable bond.
Proceedings have begun. The first tribute will be to 63-year-old Raymond ‘Moses’ Bernard, who lived on the top floor of the tower. Bernard Richmond QC says there are a number of “trigger warnings” today, including in the video commemoration to Bernard, which features pictures of the burnt out tower.
There appears to be some delay in starting proceeding (which were due to commence at 9.45am). As soon as they begin, we will be bringing you live updates.
The mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, is among those watching proceedings at the Millennium Hotel conference centre in Kensington today.
Survivors have previously expressed concern that public figures they believe should be interested in the inquiry have not attended the commemoration hearings.
The inquiry will recommence shortly amid a number of negative headlines today about the response to the tragedy.
During yesterday’s hearing, survivors lamented the fire brigade advice to residents to stay inside their flats.
Related: Grenfell: survivors lament fire brigade advice to stay inside
Welcome to our live coverage of the seventh day of the public inquiry into the Grenfell Tower fire. It is the last day of commemorative hearings, which have seen friends and families pay heartbreaking and often harrowing tribute to loved ones who died in the fire.
Today we expect to hear remembrances of the final six victims out of the 72 who died.
Today's programme for the final day of the commemorative hearing. A link to the live stream will be posted ahead of the earlier start time of 9:45am. pic.twitter.com/RiSbWfem42
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