In a gesture to prove the city will never forget the victims of the terrorist attacks Sept. 11, 2001, New York City officials have reportedly notified victims' families that they will once again search through debris from the World Trade Center in an attempt to further identify individuals still listed as missing.
Of the 2,750 people who lost their lives that fateful day in the 2001, just 1,634 have been identified, according to USA Today. New York is determined to change that, authorities announced. City officials sent emails to families of 9/11 victims Friday alerting them to the renewed efforts conducted together by numerous New York agencies, according to the New York Daily News.
"We will continue DNA testing until all recovered remains that can be matched with a victim are identified," Deputy Mayor for Operations Caswell Holloway wrote in a memo attached to the email.
Since the last recovery mission in 2010, crews have worked tirelessly to collect roughly 60 dump truck loads of rubble from construction sites in the area surrounding the World Trade Center. The gathered debris is about 590 cubic yards - 38 from the WTC, 13 from West Street, and 539 from the Liberty Street area - according to NBC New York.
Crews began sifting through the wreckage Monday at the New York City forensic unit on Staten Island. The process will reportedly take about 10 weeks. The city's medical examiner's office will analyze whatever human remains are found to search for potential matches to 9/11 victims.
New York City renewed and expanded its already intense search for 9/11 victims in 2006 after several bones were discovered inside a manhole. In the last seven years crews have combed debris from many different construction sites and underground areas around the WTC, collecting more than 1,800 items that could be human remains, according to NPR. Since the search was expanded, authorities have confirmed the identities of 34 more victims.
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