HOSPITAL chiefs have paid tribute to an “extremely dedicated and hugely popular” porter who died in the Grenfell Tower disaster.

University College London Hospitals chairman Richard Murley told a board meeting that the death of Aziz El Wahabi had been “felt very deeply by his many friends” at the Euston Road hospital. Mr Wahabi worked for 20 years as a porter at UCH and, at the time of his death, was employed by the NHS Trust’s contractor Interserve.

Aziz El Wahabi

Mr Murley said: “There was a moving occasion in the Multi Faith Prayer Room which was attended by many of his friends and colleagues at UCLH. We all send our sincere condolences to his family for their very sad loss.”

Mr Wahabi, 52, died with his wife, 42, and three children – aged 8, 16, and 21 – in the fire. The family, from Morocco, is believed to have lived on the 21st floor of the tower block in Kensington. Chief executive Marcel Levi added his condol­ences, adding that he was “a larger than life character who never fails to show kindness and compassion to patients and colleagues”. UCLH has is conduct­ing extra fire safety inspections at its sites.