Remains of 9/11 Victims to Be Moved

The unidentified remains of 9/11 victims will be moved from the medical examiner's office to a new repository at Ground Zero this Saturday, New York City has announced. Authorities say the remains will be moved to the specially built repository at bedrock level in a "solemn, somber, respectful procession" accompanied by NYPD, FDNY, and Port Authority Police vehicles, NBC reports. Some 1,115 victims, 41% of the total, have never been identified. The repository that will hold the thousands of pieces of unidentified remains will be in the same building as the National September 11 Memorial Museum, but it will not be accessible to the general public. After years of delays, the museum is set to open to family members on May 15 and the public on May 21.

Some relatives of victims say they are pleased with the move, but others oppose the plan and complain that they were notified of the move just a week in advance. "What makes it worse is that they are doing this the day before Mother’s Day, which is one of the most hard, horrible holidays for us," Sally Regenhard, whose son Christian died in the attacks, tells the New York Times. She is vice chairwoman of the 9/11 Parents and Families of Firefighters and WTC Victims group, which opposes the move for reasons including the risk of flooding. (More 9/11 victims stories.)