- (AFP) - As officials continue to revise downward the
estimates of the number of lives lost in the September 11 terror attacks,
a day of fierce battles during the US Civil War has reclaimed the dubious
distinction as "bloodiest day in America," according to news
reports.
The New York Times reported Sunday that September 17, 1862, can once again
claim the title of bloodiest day in US history, when at least 3,650 Confederate
and Union soldiers died at the Battle of Antietam, and thousands of others
were wounded.
The death toll in the World Trade Center attack originally was estimated
to be near 7,000, but now hovers at around 3,300 and could decline further
as officials continue to refine their count, the daily reported.
US officials said however, that the diminishing death toll in no way lessens
the horror of the terror assaults.
"Our country was attacked, thousands of innocent Americans and citizens
from other countries were killed and the terrorists have threatened to
kill more," Philip Reeker, a deputy spokesman at the State Department,
told the Times.
Authorities said they update their casualty figures on a daily basis as
bodies are pulled from the rubble of the wrecked World Trade Center buildings.
Other names are are eliminated by cross-checking, as authorities sometimes
discover that people were listed in error. Dozens of names also have been
dropped from lists provided by foreign consulates.
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