Son visited 11 hospitals desperately trying to find family before being told they had died in Grenfell blaze

A worried son had to visit 11 hospitals in a desperate bid to find out whether his mum, sister, brother-in-law and their three daughters survived the Grenfell Tower fire, an inquiry heard.

Hisam Choucair said he had to drive all over London with his brother, Nabil, before finding out what had happened to their loved ones.

Giving evidence on Wednesday, April 13, Hisam said he was not formally told his family had died until weeks after the tragic fire that killed 72 people.

He said: “We didn’t get an update from the hospitals. We didn’t get an update from the police – nothing from the TMO or the council.

“I know I shouldn’t have done this but I snuck into the intensive care unit (at St Thomas’ hospital). I searched the whole ward. I had to open curtains.

“It was wrong, but I felt like it was the right thing to do. All I can say is I am sorry for whoever’s privacy I invaded but it was through desperation.”

Instead, he discovered that his family were likely to have been killed after seeing a T-shirt near the fire with their photograph on it. On top of the picture, someone had laid a “You’ll Never Walk Alone” scarf.

Fighting back tears, Hisam said he received a call from the police four or five days after the fire asking for his DNA.

But still they did not confirm whether his family had died in the fire.

Since he could not get any knowledge from the authorities, Hisam was forced to print posters with family photos on them and put them on sticks.

He also appeared on Sky News with his brother to plead to viewers for information about what had happened to his family.

Hasim described how he faced “chaos” as he tried to find out what was going on at emergency centres set up near Grenfell Tower.

In a statement, he wrote: “You could tell people were coming from all over to help. I did not see anyone from the local authority.

“The community put the Government and the local authority to shame.

“People were still gathered in numbers, traumatised, crying and hugging each other. I could feel the community’s pain. The pain I was experiencing was like the inside of me was being ripped up with a knife and I felt choked.”

Hasim lost his mother, sister, brother-in-law and three nieces in the fire on June 14, 2017.

His youngest niece, Zainab, was just three years old when she died.

His mother, Sirria, lived in Flat 191 on the 22nd floor. His sister Nadia and brother-in-law Bassem lived in flat 193 with their young girls Mierna, Fatima and Zainab.

Picture: Hisam Choucair