SARA KUGLER
Associated Press Writer
NEW YORK (AP) -- The fire department is using satellite technology to record the precise locations of human remains and personal possessions of victims of the Sept. 11 attacks on the World Trade Center.
Each body part and object is catalogued by firefighters with handheld units that fix locations through satellite.
The data accumulated through the process will be stored on a map that, once completed, will provide useful insight into the catastrophic ramifications of the collapse of the twin towers, fire officials said.
The map of body parts and belongings, from identification cards to laptop computers, should help engineers understand how the towers collapsed, said Deputy Fire Commissioner Thomas Fitzpatrick.
Families also have sought to learn exactly where their loved ones were found, he said.
Recovery workers searching through the last mountains of debris have found more human remains in the last three weeks than in any comparable period since October.
Nearly 3,000 body parts have been found since March 1, when workers began concentrating on the last heaps of rubble _ including the footprint of the south tower, which was the first to collapse.
Until this month, a makeshift roadway out of the seven-story pit had climbed through the area of the south tower, allowing trucks to haul out concrete, steel and other rubble.
But a new metal ramp has given trucks additional access. This has allowed workers to focus on the recovery of remains in the south tower pile, said Matthew Monahan, spokesman for the city Department of Design and Construction, which oversees the cleanup.
Now, the 24-hour operation has shifted. Firefighters who comb through the debris with rakes and shovels stop frequently to stow remains into red biohazard bags. Bags are placed onto stretchers and draped with American flags. Workers salute as stretchers are carried out of the site and into ambulances.
The remains of 166 firefighters have been located -- nearly 20 in the last three weeks -- but still less than half of the 343 killed.
Ellen Borakove, spokeswoman for the city medical examiner, said 18,252 body parts have been found so far. As many as 2,000 victims have not been identified.
Mary Ellen Salamone is still waiting for workers to find her husband, John, who worked for the bond firm Cantor Fitzgerald. Her reaction is mixed when she hears that workers have found another pocket of human remains.
``Any time there's a report that more remains are found, there's always hope that this time it's going to be your loved one,'' Salamone said. ``Every time they find more, it also sends concern that they're in a rush to complete the cleanup.''
Officials expect the last of the debris to be cleared away by the end of May. The city estimates the total debris will soon exceed 1.5 million tons.
But Monahan said the priority always has been to recover victims' remains. ``It's not a project with a deadline, it is a project that is progressing to completion.''
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