Unidentified 9/11 remains returning to WTC

Remains of unidentified victims killed in the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center in New York have been returned to the site today in a ceremonial procession, despite criticism from some family members of those who died in the terror attacks.

The remains were moved to an underground repository at Ground Zero, the same building as the National September 11 Memorial Museum, which critics says could be prone to flooding.

The procession at dawn through the streets of New York on Saturday was escorted by fire, police and Port Authority vehicles with flashing lights and no sirens.

Some relatives of those killed protested the move saying it was wrong to store the remains at what is, essentially, a tourist site. They also said the underground repository could be subject to flooding. The demonstrators put black bands over their mouths in a silent protest as the procession rolled past (photo). Other family members have supported the move.

The repository where the remains are to be kept is sealed off from exhibition areas by a wall. It will only be accessible to the medical examiner’s staff and family members of the victims. They will be able to visit the space even when the museum is closed, the city has said.

The chief medical examiner’s office is to continue to try to match the fragments to the more than a thousand victims of the attacks who have yet to have any remains identified.

“Our commitment to return the remains to the families is as great today as it was in 2001,” said Mark Desire, who heads the four-member World Trade Center team in the city’s Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.

The death toll stemming from the attacks at the World Trade Center stands at 2,753. Of those, 1,115 victims, or 41 percent, have not been identified through a DNA match to items provided by families.

Agencies/Canadajournal