Mother was 10 weeks pregnant when she died in Grenfell fire
Tributes to victims of the Grenfell Tower blaze were heard at the inquiry into the fire during an emotional hearing.
Tuesday 29 May 2018 19:22, UK
A mother who died alongside her 12-year-old son in the Grenfell Tower fire was ten weeks pregnant.
The sisters of Berkti Haftom, 29, who lived on the 18th floor, told the inquiry into the disaster that she was pregnant when she died.
Ms Haftom had also been preparing for her eldest son to join their family in the UK after living apart for more than a decade.
Nahom Tesfay, 18, had been living with his grandmother in Ethiopia while Ms Haftom fled conflict to set up a new family home.
An emotional Mr Tesfay said: "When I remember her voice you cannot even imagine how I feel.
"I was looking forward to living with my mum and little brother but the fire in Grenfell Tower on June 14 2017 changed everything. I didn't see my mother for 15 years."
Tributes were paid to her younger son Biruk who also died in the fire.
Simon Michael, ten, who called Biruk his "brother", said he wished he had been in Grenfell Tower on the night of the fire.
Seven-year-old Hemen Yemen said:"I was very happy but my happiness has gone because of the tragedy of Grenfell Tower.
"I miss him so much I still don't know what to do without him."
The inquiry into the disaster, which is holding seven days of tributes to the dead, also heard from a father who lost his young daughters and wife when the west London block caught fire.
Hassan Awadh Hassan said his life has "fully stopped".
He had been in Egypt when his wife Rania Ibrahim, 31, and daughters Fethia, four, and Hania, three, became trapped in the blaze.
He said: "What happened in Grenfell Tower is not normal. For me, life has fully stopped. I know if I keep talking I'm not going to get Rania, Fethia and Hania back."
Remembering the day of the fire, he described rushing to the airport in Egypt after seeing it unfold on television and trying to reassure his trapped wife over the phone.
Ahmed Elgwahry, who lost his sister and mother, also spoke.
He had been on the phone to his younger sister, Mariem Elgwahry, 27, while she and their mother Eslah Elgwahry, 64, took refuge on the top floor.
He described standing at the bottom of the tower knowing that running inside would be an act of suicide.
He said: "On my final call with Mariem, despite her suffering, despite her gradual deterioration, despite her gradual loss of consciousness, she persisted in letting me know that she was still there.
"She started fading away from me rather rapidly, but she kept going all the way until she was no longer audible. She started to mumble, started banging the floor, and then finally, no longer responsive.
"It was at this point I presumed I lost my mum at the same time. But then about 20 seconds later, for the first time that early morning, I heard my mum's voice.
"She was struggling for breath, and said her last words: 'I can't breathe, I can't breathe'. That was the last time I heard her voice. She was so frightened that she had not spoken prior to this."
Italian architect Gloria Trevisan, 26, died with her fiance Marco Gottardi who "held her in his arms until the last breath, to protect her".
Her parents said she told them "be strong, I hug you both, I love you" as flames swept through her home.
The father of Isaac Paulos, a five-year-old who died in the fire, said he was angry at the advice of the fire service to stay inside the flats as the fire raged.
He said: "I want the truth. I will not have peace until I have the truth. I want to know why I was physically stopped from leaving the flat at about 2am.
"Why we were kept inside for so long? I want answers. If I had not listened to the fire brigade my son would have likely been alive today."
Each speaker was given a standing ovation.