After more than two decades since the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, the identities of two individuals who died in the World Trade Centre have been confirmed, New York City's chief medical examiner said Friday. This marks the most recent successful identification in the ongoing, decades-long effort to reunite victims with their families.
Officials have chosen to withhold the names of these two victims, a man and a woman, as per their families' request. They represent the 1,648th and 1,649th individuals whose remains have been identified since 2001.
According to an official release, the identification of the man was confirmed through DNA testing of remains recovered in 2001. The identification of the woman was confirmed through DNA testing of remains recovered in 2001, 2006, and 2013.
"More than 20 years after the disaster, these two new identifications continue to fulfil a solemn pledge that the Office of Chief Medical Examiner (OCME) made to return the remains of World Trade Centre victims to their loved ones," said Chief Medical Examiner Dr Graham.
"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 fulfil this promise."
This recent development has come to light shortly before the 22nd anniversary of the terrorist attack orchestrated by al-Qaida terrorists. During this horrifying event, they hijacked commercial aeroplanes and intentionally crashed them into the Twin Towers, located in Lower Manhattan. This tragic incident resulted in the devastating loss of nearly 3,000 lives.
"As we prepare to mark the anniversary of September 11, our thoughts turn to those we lost on that terrible morning and their families, who continue to live every day with the pain of missing loved ones," said New York City Mayor Eric Adams.
"We hope these new identifications can bring some measure of comfort to the families of these victims, and the ongoing efforts by the Office of Chief Medical Examiner attest to the city's unwavering commitment to reunite all the World Trade Centre victims with their loved ones."
