Recovery Continues in New York, D.C., Hopes Fade
Sept. 16 -- Rescue efforts continued today, but New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani said that hopes of finding any more survivors were fading.
"This was New York City's worst week probably in its history and it's also been its best week because of the citizens of this city," Giuliani said at a press conference late today.
Rescue workers have been searching around the clock for survivors of the twin towers disaster. But the efforts remain painstakingly difficult and tumultuous. One official said that workers can't even find concrete. "It's all dust," he said.
Officials say the towers were "pulverized" by the two hijacked jetliners that crashed into the World Trade Center Twin Towers on Tuesday. Another plane crashed into the Pentagon and another crashed in a field in Pennsylvania.
"The reality is that we're still told that there are possibilities and that those possibilities can last for some period of time," Giuliani said. "But the hope of recovering people diminishes obviously."
Exploring All Possible Air Pockets
No survivors have been found since early Wednesday. But officials are still calling their efforts a "search and rescue" operation.
Giuliani said late today that a "substantial increase" in the recovery of body parts were being found by workers.
On ABCNEWS' This Week, Giuliani said he would wait "as long as it takes" before declaring that no more survivors are likely to be found, based on input from rescue experts and the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
According to Giuliani, 4,957 people are still missing. The number dropped from earlier today after officials eliminated redundancies. The official death toll is at 190, with 115 of those people now identified. Thirty-two firefighters were among those confirmed dead.
"The recovery effort continues and the hope is still there thatwe might be able to save some lives," Giuliani said. "But the reality is that in the last several days we haven't found anyone."
He urged New Yorkers to go about their life and encouraged tourists to visit the city and to spend money.
