NEW YORK, Oct. 6 (UPI) -- Some families of those who died in the Twin Towers on Sept. 11, 2001, are asking that half a million tons of dust and ash be relocated for a proper burial.
World Trade Center Families for Proper Burial are petitioning to have the massive amount of debris, currently located at the Fresh Kills landfill and slated to be converted into a memorial park, relocated and sifted to search for human remains, USA Today reported.
The group was formed by Diane and Kurt Horning, whose son Matthew died when the north tower collapsed. They have lobbied New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg to grant their request, but he has already denied it.
"Although I believe that my husband's spirit is free as a hawk, and that no bureaucracy can confine that to a dump or a memorial site, I do respectfully request that these remains be removed from the dump site. We know that these are remains of loved ones. We know that it is not trash," wrote another member of the group, Karen Homer, whose husband, Herbert, died on United Airlines Flight 175.
"After months of evaluating the complex concerns raised by members of WTC Families for Proper Burial, we have concluded that we will proceed with plans for a respectful memorial at the recovery site," said Bloomberg spokeswoman Jennifer Falk in a statement.
The estimated cost of removing and sifting through the debris is $450 million.
