Authorities have identified the remains of two additional 9/11 victims, almost exactly 22 years after the attacks on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001.
The identifications are part of a decades-long effort by the office of New York City Chief Medical Examiner Jason Graham to return victims to their families since nearly 3,000 people were killed in Lower Manhattan.
The newly confirmed man and woman's identities are being kept private at the request of their families.
"As we prepare to mark the anniversary of September 11, our thoughts turn to those we lost on that terrible morning and their families, who continue to live every day with the pain of missing loved ones," New York City Mayor Eric Adams said in a press release.
"We hope these new identifications can bring some measure of comfort to the families of these victims, and the ongoing efforts by the Office of Chief Medical Examiner attest to the city's unwavering commitment to reunite all the World Trade Center victims with their loved ones," he said.
The remains of 40% of the people who perished on 9/11—about 1,104—have still not been identified.
Graham described efforts to identify victim remains as "the largest and most complex forensic investigation in the history of our country."
The last positive identifications came two years ago, in 2021, and then in 2019 before that.
So far, a total of 1,649 World Trade Center victims have been identified. The intricate process uses DNA sequencing techniques to test body fragments recovered in the rubble.
Graham said he has made a "solemn pledge" to return victims to their loved ones.
SEE MORE: 'Paulie's Push' honors airline crews lost on 9/11
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