LAST COLUMN REMOVED FROM WTC SITE WASHINGTON, MAY 29 (KUNA) -- AFTER NEARLY EIGHT MONTHS OF GRUELING WORK, RECOVERY EFFORTS AT NEW YORK CITY'S WORLD TRADE CENTER HAS COME TO A CLOSE.
ON TUESDAY, WORKERS GATHERED TO WATCH THE LAST STEEL COLUMN OF THE DEMOLISHED WORLD TRADE CENTER BEING REMOVED IN THE FIRST SERIES OF CEREMONIES MARKING THE END OF THE RECOVERY EFFORTS.
WITH CHANTS OF "USA! USA!" IN THE BACKGROUND, THE STEEL COLUMN WAS CUT WITH A TORCH AND PLACED ON A FLATBED TRACK, WHERE IT WAS DRAPED WITH AN AMERICAN FLAG AND LAID A WREATH OF RED, WHITE AND BLUE FLOWERS ON TOP. SOME WROTE MESSAGES ON IT.
THE 30-FOOT-LONG PIECE OF STEEL SURVIVED WHEN THE TWIN TOWERS COLLAPSED INTO A MOUNTAIN OF 1.8 MILLION TONS OF RUBBLE AFTER THEY WERE HIT BY THE TWO HIJACKED PLANES ON SEPT. 11.
ON THURSDAY, THE COLUMN WILL BE REMOVED FROM THE SITE IN A PROCESSION PAST AN HONOR GUARD DURING THE CITY'S FORMAL CEREMONY TO MARK THE END OF THE RECOVERY EFFORTS.
OF THE 2,823 PEOPLE BELIEVED KILLED IN THE ATTACK, THE REMAINS OF JUST 1,092 HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED. BUT NEARLY 20,000 BODY PARTS HAVE BEEN RECOVERED, AND THE MEDICAL EXAMINER IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE IDENTIFICATION WORK FOR AT LEAST EIGHT MORE MONTHS. (END) AJ.MM.
KUNA 291709 May 02NNNN