Bereaved Speak Out at London Grenfell Tower Fire Inquiry

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Relatives of the victims of the Grenfell Tower fire paid tribute to their loved ones on Monday at the start of an inquiry into Britain's deadliest blaze ahead of the first anniversary of the disaster.

Seventy-one people and an unborn child died in the June 14 fire, which was started by a faulty fridge and devastated a 24-story apartment block in west London in the early hours of the morning.

Monday's hearings will include relatives of six victims including a baby who was stillborn in hospital after his parents escaped from the tower in one of the disaster's most poignant cases.

His father Marcio Gomes, who lived on the 21st floor, was the first to address the inquiry and offer a heart-wrenching commemoration for his unborn son.

"He might not be here physically but he will always be here in our hearts," said a tearful Gomes, flanked by wife Andreia and their legal team.

"He was so peaceful, so restful... our sleeping angel -- that's what he was," he said.

An ultrasound image of Logan Gomes was shown alongside other photos of a nursery that the couple, who have two daughters, had prepared.

Inquiry chairman Martin Moore-Bick had opened the proceedings with 72 seconds of silence to mark each loss of life.

He noted the fire was "the single greatest tragedy to befall this city since the Second World War".

"During the coming days there will be much sorrow," he said, before adding that the relatives' testimony would be "an integral part of the inquiry."

Richard Millett, lead counsel to the inquiry, delivered a heartfelt opening statement, in which he called the process "a search for truth."

"Grenfell is not a lawyers' argument or scientists' experiment... Grenfell was home," he said.

Natasha Elcock, who was rescued from the 11th floor, told BBC radio of the victims' relatives: "Through all the grief and the sorrow they are going through -- the trauma -- they want to do their relatives proud."

"We must remember all of those people that died and we must keep them in our hearts and our minds all the way through this inquiry until the bitter end," she said.

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