At least 18 children died in the Grenfell Tower fire, more than half of them under the age of 11, the latest inquests have revealed.
The most recent victims to be identified include two sisters, two three-year-old girls, a boy aged six, a teenager and a woman in her 30s.
Several of those identified were siblings, with the fire wiping out complete families – and Wednesday’s inquests confirmed the deaths of several families’ remaining missing members.
(PA graphic)
Senior Coroner Dr Fiona Wilcox told Westminster Coroner’s Court, which was packed with victims’ relatives: “We hopefully now only have a handful of formal identifications to make.
“I have identified 67 different victims of this fire. Many sadly today were young children who died. I have opened and adjourned and suspended the inquests of all 67.”
In addition, baby Logan Gomes, who was stillborn in hospital on June 14, was recorded as a victim of the fire by police.
Dr Wilcox said all children on the missing list had been accounted for and identified, adding: “I hope that has managed to bring some relief to the families who have been anxiously awaiting the return of their children to them.”
The ages of the fire’s known victims span more than 80 years, from baby Logan to 84-year-old Sheila, formerly known as Sheila Smith.
The provisional cause of death for all seven of the latest victims was “consistent with the effects of fire”, the inquest heard.
The remains of three-year-old Zainab Choucair were recovered from the 22nd floor where she lived with her family, coroner’s officer Eric Sword said.
She was the daughter of Nadia Choucair and her husband Bassem, and had two sisters, Mierna, 13, and Fatima, 11.
Nabil Choucair lost six relatives in the fire (Rick Findler/PA)
The cause of death for the whole family, including her grandmother Sirria Choucair, 60, was “consistent with the effects of the fire”.
Nur Huda, 15, was identified after her father Abdulaziz El-Wahabi, 52, his wife Faouzia, 41, their elder son Yasin, 20, and youngest son Mehdi, eight, were previously confirmed dead.
Her remains were found on the 21st floor, where the family lived, while six-year old Yaqub Hashim was found on the floor above.
Yaqub Hashim (Metropolitan Police/PA)
He was the youngest in his family of five living on the 22nd floor, and died along with his parents, brother and sister.
The remains of sisters Fethia, four, and Hania Hassan, three, were found on the 23rd floor in the same area as their mother, Rania Ibrahim, the court was told.
The 30-year-old, identified during a previous inquest, uploaded a harrowing Facebook Live video as she was stuck at the top of the tower block.
Senior Coroner Dr Fiona Wilcox told Westminster Coroner’s Court she had identified 67 victims of the fire (Dominic Lipinski/PA)
The remains of three-year-old Amaya Tuccu-Ahmedin were also found next to her mother Amal Ahmedin in the 23rd floor lobby.
She was the daughter of Mohamednur Tuccu, 44, whose body was recovered from close to the nearby leisure centre.
The family are thought to have lived on the 19th floor.
The remains of Isra Ibrahim, 33, were also found on the 23rd floor.
All seven victims were identified by “anthropology and secondary supporting evidence”, apart from Nur Huda, who was identified by examination of her dental records, Mr Sword said.
Nur Huda El-Wahabi (Metropolitan Police/PA)
The families of Amaya, her mother and Amna Mahmud Idris, whose inquests were both opened previously, issued a statement.
It read: “This has been a very distressing time for us as a family, but we are relieved that Amal, Amaya and Amna have been identified following the tragic fire. They will now be laid to rest.”
All three were found on the 23rd floor.