WTC yields rich, sad trove

NEW YORK -- Recovery crews searching through the last mountains of World Trade Center debris have found more human remains in the past three weeks than in any comparable period since October.

Nearly 3,000 body parts have been discovered since March 1, when workers began concentrating on the last heaps of rubble, including the footprint of the south tower, the first skyscraper to collapse.

Until this month, a large mountain of debris where the south tower stood was largely untouched because it was used to support a road for trucks hauling broken concrete and steel. But a metal ramp has since been installed, enabling workers to begin taking the pile apart.

Workers also are picking through a smaller pile of rubble where the north tower once stood.

During the round-the-clock operation, firefighters who comb through the debris with rakes and shovels stop frequently to stow remains into red biohazard bags. Bags are placed onto stretchers and draped with American flags. Rescue workers salute as the stretchers are carried out of the site and into ambulances.

The remains of 166 firefighters have been located, nearly 20 in the past three weeks. But that is still less than half of the 343 killed.

Ellen Borakove, spokeswoman for the city medical examiner, said 18,252 body parts have been found so far. Up to 2,830 people are believed to have died at the trade center. The remains of as many as 2,000 of them have not been identified.

Officials expect the last of the debris to be cleared away by the end of May. As of Monday, 1,460,980 tons of debris had been removed in 99,715 truckloads. The city estimates the total debris will exceed 1.5-million tons.

The fire department is using satellite technology to record the precise locations of human remains and personal possessions. Each body part and object is cataloged by firefighters with handheld units that fix locations through satellite.

The map of body parts and belongings, from identification cards to laptop computers, should help engineers understand how the towers collapsed, said Deputy Fire Commissioner Thomas Fitzpatrick.

Families have been eager, too, to learn exactly where their loved ones were found, he said.

© 2006 • All Rights Reserved • St. Petersburg Times
490 First Avenue South • St. Petersburg, FL 33701 • 727-893-8111

Contact the Times | Privacy Policy
Standard of Accuracy | Terms, Conditions & Copyright