NEW YORK (AP) – The remains of two people who died in the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center have been identified, the latest positive identification in the decades long effort to return victims to their families.
Authorities confirmed the identification of the remains of a man and woman days ahead of the 22nd anniversary of the hijacked-plane attack that killed nearly 3,000 people in Lower Manhattan.
Their names were withheld by city officials at the request of their families.
New York City’s medical examiner has now been able to link remains to 1,649 World Trade Center victims, a painstaking process that relies on leading-edge DNA sequencing techniques to test body fragments recovered in the rubble.
Advancements in the sequencing technology, including increased test sensitivity and faster turnaround times, have allowed officials to identify remains that had tested negative for identifiable DNA for decades, officials said.
Similar efforts are used by the United States military to identify missing service members and are currently underway to test body fragments from more than 100 people killed during the wildfires in Maui last month.Despite forensic advancements, the effort to identify the remains of 9/11 victims has slowed in recent years.
