New York missing figure edges closer to 7,000

The number of people missing or dead following the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center has risen to 6,729, New York’s …

The number of people missing or dead following the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center has risen to 6,729, New York’s Mayor, Mr Rudy Giuliani said this afternoon.

The number of missing stood at 6,453, he said, an increase of 120 from the previous number.

The number of bodies recovered at the site had increased to 276, of which 206 have been identified, he told a news conference.

Rescue workers have yet to find a survivor since the day after the September 11th terrorist attacks.

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Mr Giuliani dashed hopes any survivors would be found at this stage, saying it would take a "miracle" to find anyone alive.

Those confirmed dead include 40 firefighters and seven other uniformed officers, he said.

Mr Giuliani said the increase in the figure was due to a reassessment of the lists of those reported missing.

"The number went up a little bit after they went through the lists, removed some of the duplications and then added some names," he said.

The hundreds of firefighters, police and builders combing through the wreckage have still not found the flight recorders, or black boxes, of the two hijacked airliners in New York.

PA/AFP