In the course of things, the builders of the new World Trade Center are naturally stressing what they see as its bright future. But the site itself will let no one forget its past.
On Tuesday, hours after the press was invited to the upper reaches of 1 World Trade Center for a preview of the observation deck, the office of the chief medical examiner announced that two fragments, which could be human remains, had been found on Monday near the World Financial Center, across West Street from the trade center.
Before Monday, the city had recovered a total of 1,845 fragments that could be human remains in a search that began in 2006, after the unexpected discovery of body fragments in a Consolidated Edison manhole.
That search is by no means over. Caswell F. Holloway, the deputy mayor for operations, said last week that the city would begin sifting 590 cubic yards of newly excavated material from the area south of Liberty Street where the trade center’s vehicle security center is being constructed, from the bed of West Street and from the area where the two possible remains were recovered on Monday (labeled “C-Grid†on the map below).
The sifting is to take place on Staten Island, using a screen with a mesh that can trap particles larger than 3/16ths of an inch. The goal is to be able to link as many remains to individual victims as possible, and to return to victims’ relatives whatever physical remains may be found.
To date, 1,119 victims â€" more than one-third of those who were killed in the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attack â€" have yet to be identified.
Office of the Mayor Two potential human remains from 9/11 were recovered Monday from “C-Grid,†the World Financial Center site. The city said last week that it would begin sifting excavated material from C-Grid, West Street and the vehicle security center site for more remains. “WTC 1″ and “WTC 2″ show the ocations of the original twin towers, where the memorial pools are now. The new 1 World Trade Center is on the site of “WTC 6,†the U.S. Custom House.