New Search For Remains Near Ground Zero

(CBS/AP)  Officials believe searching several roads near the World Trade Center site could turn up more human remains.

But they will not advise an expanded search at ground zero itself because they do not expect to find remains on those 16 acres, according to an official familiar with the plan, who was not authorized to speak about the proposal before it was made public Friday.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg said Friday that the site "was extensively and completely searched" for remains after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

While a search continues in manholes along a service road at the site's western edge, "there's no chance for anything else" in parts of the site where construction is under way, Bloomberg said in his weekly radio show.

Remains for more than 40 percent of the 2,749 victims of the Sept. 11 attack have not been found or identified.

Deputy Mayor Edward Skyler ordered city and state officials last week to compare search grids and maps of the site with the post-Sept. 11 cleanup and recovery and come up with possibilities for a renewed search.

Skyler, who is overseeing the renewed effort to recover remains, declined to comment ahead of the presentation.

Utility workers came across body parts while digging up a manhole last week under a service road along the site's western edge. Since then, workers have uncovered more than 200 bones — ranging from 1-inch shards to full arm and leg bones. Officials acknowledge that the manhole and several other underground cavities were missed during the initial nine-month search for the dead.

The current search has targeted 12 manholes and service boxes along the service road. Nine more human remains from that area were recovered Thursday, said Grace Burgess, a spokeswoman for the city medical examiner's office.

The proposal does not address the possibility of inspecting the many buildings that surround the site, beyond a search already under way in a 40-story damaged skyscraper just south of the site and an old dormitory that has not yet been searched.

Fire officials have said the department thoroughly searched buildings surrounding the site for remains.

Bruce De Cell, whose family received remains of his son-in-law on five different occasions since the attacks, said that the rooftops of area buildings should be searched again, and added that the entire search should not be handled by the city.

"I think it should be put into the federal government's hands," De Cell said. City officials "really have done a haphazard job altogether."

[cacee13601]

i dont really know how to comment on this one other than i agree with emhawks about re opending the investigation... they might be able to find 20% of the 40% missing and thats better than nothing

[centex7088]

Bluestardad, get a life, and post comments relative to the topic. Show some respect!

[darkfyreaol]

I'm certainly not surprised.. Though I expect no more than 15-20% of the remaining bones/parts to be found in such locations.

Reason being, the collapsing towers had the force equivalent of a small atomic bomb, on the inside. Whatever remains were among the original piles of debris were likely reduced to pebble-sized pieces, and ash, from the heat.

[bluestardad]

CALL TO AMERICAN VOTER
STAY FOCUSED AMERICA IT IS ABOUT TO GET TOUGH. WE HAVE A FEW MORE DAYS OF INTENSE ATTACK ADS, SMOKE SCREENS, DIVISION OF ELECTORATE, DECEPTION, MISREPRESENTATION, AND LIES, TO ENDURE BEFORE WE CAN UNCOVER THE ELECTION FRAUD, RECOUNT THE VOTE, AND THROW THESE CRIMINALS OUT OF OFFICE. THEN WE CAN START HEALING AMERICA.

[connapa]

Given the force of the collapse of such a large (and heavy) structure, its no surprise that fragments could have been reasonably forced into certain locations. its just unfortunate that nobody thought of exploring all these locations sooner. I'm sure that the plans for all these underground locations are somewhere on file at city hall.

[emhawks]

My sympathy & prayers will always go out to the families of the 911 victims.
Re-open the 911 investigation.