Lebanon buries remains of family killed in Grenfell inferno
Lebanon buries remains of family killed in Grenfell inferno
The remains of a family of six killed by a deadly inferno that tore through London's Grenfell Tower were buried in the family's Bekaa Valley hometown on Monday.
2 min read
Poster for Choucair family in London [Twitter/Jamie Grierson]
The remains of a family of six killed by a deadly inferno that tore through a London tower were buried in the family's Bekaa Valley hometown on Monday, four months after the tragic blaze killed at least 80 people inside Grenfell Tower.
The charred remains of Bassem Choucair, his wife Nadia, their three children – Mirna, Fatima and Zeinab - as well as Nadia's elderly mother, Sareyah, arrived at the Beirut airport on Sunday.
They were met with a sombre atmosphere surrounded by families and friends who awaited their final return.
A government delegation including minister Ghazi Zeaiter and industry minister Hussein Hajj Hasan was also present at the Rafik Hariri International Airport.
"This is the fate of this family, where a fire hit a building and 80 died, including six from the Choucair family," Hajj Hasan said, according to Lebanon's Daily Star.
The Choucair family's remains were returned following the DNA tests, which were only recently concluded.
"There was no delay or any kind of difficulties in [repatriating] the bodies," Hajj Hasan added.
Secretary General of the Higher Relief Committee Major General Mohammad Khair said they were awaiting a report following an investigation into the family's death.
"The Lebanese embassy in London, the Lebanese community and the victims' parents helped us bring back the bodies. The investigation's results will be here soon," he said.
The Choucair family perished in a tragic inferno that tore through the 24-storey Grenfell Tower block in West London in June.
The were believed to be living on the 22nd floor of the tower and were reported missing by family and friends soon after the fire took hold of the building.
Sawsan Choucair, Nadia's sister, made a on ITV the following morning, revealing she had called them around 3am during the blaze.
She said she spoke to them as soon as she heard about the fire and could hear them screaming and shouting as they attempted to make it out.
An inquiry into the fire disaster opened on Thursday as survivors demanded answers over the west London apartment block blaze.
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