THE remains of 72 people killed in the 9/11 terrorist attacks have been found nine years after the atrocity.
Officials in New York said human bones were discovered during an extensive search of Ground Zero,
Nearly 3,000 people were killed when al-Qaida suicide bombers flew two jet planes into the World Trade Center’s twin towers.
Workers digging since April filled two trucks with bones after sifting through 800 cubic yards of debris found underneath the roads in Manhattan.
Major construction work was needed to make the areas accessible so workers could begin their grisly search. The New York Medical Examiner’s Office said 37 of the bodies had been found in West Street, a road to the west of Ground Zero.
The office said DNA testing was likely to identify some of the remains, given the size and condition of bone fragments from the victims.
Around 1,000 of the dead from the attacks on September 11, 2001, have yet to be identified.
Searches have so far uncovered 1,800 bodies. The latest discovery comes as plans for a performing arts centre at Ground Zero begin to take shape.
In May, a New York City community board also controversially voted in favour of a plan to build a mosque and cultural centre near the site.
Conservative activists and families of the victims of the 9/11 attacks have objected to the plans.
Meanwhile, lawyers for thousands of emergency workers who responded to the attacks were in court in New York battling for compensation.
Some 10,000 police officers, firefighters and construction workers are suing the city over their exposure to toxic ash caused by the collapse of the towers.
The expected settlement is thought to be around £480m.
