New York, 6400 still missing
Officials in New York will begin issuing death certificates today to the next of kin who lost family members in the attack on the World Trade Centre 15 days ago. The number of people who have been listed as missing has been revised downwards.
The Mayor of New York, Rudolph Giuliani, has revised down by about 100 the number of those still missing in the ruins of the World Trade Centre in Lower Manhattan. However, the figure for those still unaccounted for stands at around 6,400 with about 300 bodies recovered.
Today the city officials will begin one of the most difficult tasks of all - issuing thousands of death certificates to the next of kin of those still missing. It is perhaps the strongest indication yet that they do not expect a miracle and find anyone else alive, but also that many of the bodies may never be found.
However the search continues around the clock. Over 100,000 tonnes of rubble have so far been taken from the site of the attack. A staggering one million tonnes still remains to be removed. That process of removal is expected to run into weeks if not months.
