The tragic final words of Syrian refugee killed in Grenfell Tower fire
A Syrian refugee has been named as the first victim of the Grenfell Tower fire.
Mohammad Alhajal told a friend moments before his death: ‘It is over. The fire has reached me. Tell my mum and dad I love them.’
Family friend Abdulaziz Almashi told Yahoo News UK that Mohammad tried to escape the fire, following his brother Omar who is now recovering in hospital.
The 23-year-old lived on the 13th floor of the block with his two brothers Omar, 25 and Hashim, 20, after they fled Syria in 2014.
Mr Almashi said: ‘He tried to flee the flats and went into the corridor, but it was too dark with smoke.’
He explained that Omar managed to flee the building but Mohammad returned to the flat where he was trapped for two hours, speaking to a friend from Syria on the phone, speaking his heartbreaking final words.
Omar is currently in hospital in a ‘stable condition’
Mr Almashi described Mohammad as a ‘kind and charitable’ person.
‘He always tried to help others. He was an incredible person,’ he said.
‘They [the three brothers] were happy in London because they had the chance for an education.
‘This is absolutely devastating for the family.’
Mohammad was studying civil engineering at the University of the West of London, and Omar is training to be an accountant.
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The devastating fire that broke out in the tower has killed at least 17 people, with that number expected to rise.
Emergency services are today trawling through the wreckage, with no survivors expected to be found.
A residents’ group has said they flagged up the building’s fire safety issues a number of times, but their warnings fell on deaf ears.