(AP) The bodies of five firefighters were pulled from the rubble of the World Trade Center on Tuesday as workers continued to discover pockets of human remains even in the last stage of the recovery effort.

The bodies, draped in American flags, were pulled from an area where the south tower once stood, said Pat Cleary, a fire department spokesman.

About 100 firefighters lined up to salute as the bodies were carried to an ambulance. Three of the bodies were pulled from the wreckage this morning, followed by the discoveries of two others around midday.

As of last week, the bodies of 148 firefighters had been pulled from the rubble — fewer than half of the 343 who died in the Sept. 11 attacks, Cleary said.

Recovery crews are finding more human remains as they dig into the last debris at the World Trade Center site. The top of the six-story heap is at ground level; the bottom is at what used to be the lowest basement level of the south tower.

The recovery and cleanup efforts at the site are expected to be finished by June.

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