‘I lost my superstar’

BABY AGONY OF GRENFELL

THE dad of a baby stillborn hours after his parents fled the Grenfell fire paid a tearful tribute to his “superstar”.

Marcio Gomes struggled to contain his emotions as he spoke on the opening day of a probe into the disaster which claimed 72 lives last June.

Mr Gomes recalled holding the child’s body hoping he would open his eyes.

He said: “He was going to be my superstar. He might not be here physically but he will always be here in our hearts, and will be forever. I know he’s here, with God, right next to me, giving me strength and courage to take this forward.”

Mr Gomes showed the inquiry an ultrasound picture of Logan and said “everything was ready” for his arrival. With his wife Andrea sitting beside him, he said it had “felt like our hearts had broken”.

Relatives of all 72 victims will be given the chance to commemorate loved ones during the inquiry.

It is believed not all of them will take this opportunity.

The families of five other victims remembered their loved ones at the hearing in South Kensington, west London.

These were Khadija Saye and her mother Mary Mendy, Denis Murphy, Joseph Daniels and Mohamed Neda.

Families were given no time limit as they spoke to the hearing using pictures and videos.

Denis’s family told the inquiry “the day he died a part of all of us died”.

Solicitors representing the family of Mohamed read tributes from his brother, son, and wife.

Farhad Neda said his father was his “best friend and the man I admire most”. The inquiry was played an audio recording of the last call from Mohamed from the night of the fire.

In it, he said: “We are now leaving this world, goodbye. I hope I haven’t disappointed you.”

Opening the inquiry, chairman Sir Martin Moore-Bick said the fire was the “greatest tragedy to befall this city” since World War Two.

The inquiry resumes today.