Two more 9/11 victims identified using DNA

The latest identifications are the first since September 2021, officials said. Photo: Fatih Aktas/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

Two more victims of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001 have been identified on the eve of the 22nd anniversary of the disaster.

The identity of these two — a man and a woman — was established through advanced DNA analysis. and are being held at the request of their families, authorities said.

The latest identifications are the first since September 2021, officials said. Before this, the last identification was made in 2019.

To date, 1,649 victims have been identified out of the 2,753 people killed when two hijacked civilian planes flew into the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York. «We hope these new identifications can bring some comfort to the families of these victims, and the ongoing efforts of the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner demonstrate the City's unwavering commitment to reuniting all victims.» World Trade Center with their loved ones.» Mayor Eric Adams said.

But with 1,104 victims still unidentified, progress has been agonizingly slow.

The remains of these men, who have yet to be identified, are currently housed at the National 9/11 Memorial Museum. Memorial & Museum on the site of the World Trade Center.

When the mall's south tower, and then the north one, collapsed with a deafening roar, unleashing a torrent of fire, choking gray dust and twisted steel on the Manhattan streets below, the violence was so intense that no identifiable traces were found. hundreds are missing.

The two latest identifications were made possible by the use of “next-generation sequencing technology that is more sensitive and faster than traditional DNA methods,” the statement said. The remains of a man and a woman were found many years ago.

The breakthrough came ahead of final commemorations of the 2001 disaster on Monday. As a result of the attacks, 19 jihadists, most of them Saudi citizens, hijacked four planes.

Terrorist attack on the World Trade Center killed 2,977 people. Photo: Reuters

In addition to the two planes that destroyed the World Trade Center, a third plane crashed into the Pentagon building near Washington, causing heavy damage, and a fourth crashed in a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, after its passengers and crew fought with attackers.

In total, the attacks killed 2,977 people.

Dr. Jason Graham, New York's chief medical examiner, said officials were determined to fulfill their «solemn obligations » promise» to return the remains of all victims of the attack.

«Faced with the largest and most complex forensic investigation in our nation's history, we remain steadfast in our mission to use the latest advances in science to fulfill that promise,» Graham said .