Workers find human remains on New York 9/11 site

NEW YORK - Human remains thought to be from victims of the September 11 attacks have been discovered by utility workers removing rubble from manholes where the World Trade Centre once stood, a city official said today.

"Human remains were recovered. We will be trying to do what we can to try to identify those remains," said Ellen Borakove, spokeswoman for the chief medical examiner. She said the office will run DNA tests in hopes of matching the parts with existing profiles gathered since the attacks.

Local media reports said a few arm and leg bones had been found, but Borakove would not confirm that.

More than five years later, only 1150 of the 2749 victims of the New York attack have been identified.

Families of victims have called repeatedly for a thorough search of the grounds.

"We can no longer rely on accidental discoveries," the WTC Families for Proper Burial said in a statement. "May this awful news be the catalyst needed to go back and do the job well."

The manholes had been covered by a temporary road paved soon after the attacks to allow cranes in to remove debris.

- REUTERS