The memories of September 11, 2001, are etched in the minds of the people all over the world. Each year as the date nears, the world talks about the deadly attack that claimed thousands of lives in a day while changing the lives of thousands forever. The terrorist attacks of September 11 gave birth to changes that would switch the course of life in the US and world.
This year marks the 22nd anniversary of the hijacked-plane attack that killed nearly 3,000 people in Lower Manhattan.
Days before the anniversary, authorities confirmed the identities of two people who died in the attack on the World Trade Center, marking the latest positive identification in the effort to return victims to their families. The authorities identified a man and a woman whose names have been withheld at the request of their families.
The New York City’s medical examiner has so far linked the remains of 1,649 victims of the attack. The identification process relies on leading-edge DNA sequencing techniques to test body fragments recovered in the rubble.
The officials have been able to better the identification using advancements in the sequencing technology, including increased test sensitivity and faster turnaround times. This has allowed them to identify remains that had tested negative for identifiable DNA for decades.
The efforts to identify the 9/11 victims have reportedly slowed down in recent years. The latest identifications are the first since September 2021, officials said. Before that, the last identification was made in 2019.
1,000 more human remains remain unidentified
Over 1,000 human remains from the attacks are yet to be identified. They are currently being stored in the National September 11 Memorial & Museum at the World Trade Center site.
The New York City’s medical examiner Dr Jason Graham said officials are committed to fulfilling their “solemn pledge” to return the remains of all of the attack’s victims.
“Faced with the largest and most complex forensic investigation in the history of our country, we stand undaunted in our mission to use the latest advances in science to serve this promise,” Graham said.
(With AP inputs)