OTTAWA – In a gesture of sympathy and solidarity, Canadians will join other nations on Friday in a near-global day of mourning, called to grieve the thousands feared dead after Tuesday’s catastrophic attacks on the United States.
Prime Minister Jean Chrétien declared Friday a national day of mourning. Mr. Chrétien said Thursday that a ceremony remembering the victims would be held on Parliament Hill.
“This will show the solidarity we feel toward our American friends and the families of the Canadian victims,” he said. “We join all civilized nations in pledging our complete support in the days to come and our full co-operation in bringing those who committed this awful crime to justice.”
Paul Cellucci, the U.S. ambassador in Ottawa, has been invited to participate in Friday’s ceremony, which is scheduled to begin at noon EDT. At about 12:20 p.m., three minutes of silence will begin. One chime from the bell in the Peace Tower will mark its end, then the bell will toll for one full minute afterwards.
WASHINGTON – President Bush will spend part of Friday’s national day of mourning honoring rescuers searching through the rubble of the World Trade Center for victims of Tuesday’s terrorist attack. Mr. Bush will travel to New York City to take a first hand look at the devastation caused when two hijacked planes slammed into the twin, 110-story towers.
President Bush told New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani and Governor George Pataki Thursday that New Yorkers have made a huge display of American compassion and bravery.
Thousands of firefighters, police officers, and volunteers are using everything from heavy machinery to their bare hands to sift through the twisted steel and ankle-deep dust.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is taking steps to protect the rescuers and New York residents from the hazardous materials thrown into the air when the World Trade Center buildings collapsed.
The EPA says initial tests show generally low-levels of asbestos, lead, and other contaminants.
U.S. officials say they will simplify the procedures necessary for the survivors of firefighters and police officers killed in the World Trade Center disaster to collect $150,000 benefit checks. Mayor Giuliani said as of late Thursday, 47-hundred people were listed as missing and 97 bodies were recovered. He has asked the federal government to provide the city with 11-thousand body bags.
In Washington, U.S. Defense Department officials believe the hijacked plane that hit the Pentagon killed 190 military workers and civilians, including 64 people on the plane.
Pentagon rescue efforts were briefly complicated late Thursday by a new fire in the area devastated by the terrorist strike. Authorities ordered an evacuation as firefighters moved in and quickly put out the flames. There were no survivors from a fourth hijacked plan that crashed in a field south of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. That plane was apparently heading for another target in Washington.
