Survivors of fire struggle with emotions as probe continues
LONDON (AP) - Survivors and families of the victims of London's Grenfell Tower fire are struggling with their emotions as a public inquiry hears individual tributes to the 72 people who died in the blaze last year.
Emma Kennedy, a National Health Service outreach manager who was at the hearing on Tuesday, says people fled the room in tears after footage of the burning high-rise was shown without prior warning. The video showed people at the windows of the burning building.
Kennedy says the sessions are proving to be "very heavy, emotionally. It's like being at a funeral for multiple people for six hours."
FILE - In this Wednesday, June 14, 2017 file photo, smoke rises from Grenfell Tower in London. An inquiry into last year's devastating fire at Grenfell Tower in west London is set to begin on Monday May 21, 2018, with two weeks of tributes to the 71 people who died. The statements from friends and family members are meant to keep the victims at the center of the inquiry. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham, file)
Counselors are standing around the perimeter of the hearing room and teams are providing massages and breathing exercises to reduce anxiety.
