Lab working to identify the remains of 9/11 victims 24 years on from tragedy explain why they 'haven't finished'

The lab working on identifying 9/11 victims, more than two decades after the horrific tragedy, have explained why tragically they're still 'not finished'.

24 years ago today, on 11 September 2001, two planes were hijacked and deliberately crashed into the two World Trade Centre Twin Tower buildings by al-Qaeda.

More than 2,900 people catastrophically lost their lives during the terrorist attacks, making it the deadliest in human history.

And today, on the 24th anniversary of the tragedy, America is in mourning, as the country is taking part in a host of tributes to honour the victims.

According to the Independent, Donald Trump and his wife, Melania, are set to attend a service at the Pentagon, while Vice President JD Vance and his wife, Usha, will be at the World Trade Center site.

Staff at the lab working on identifying the remains of 9/11 victims have revealed why they're still doing it (Getty Stock Image)

Official ceremonies will include emotional readings of the victims' names with moments of silence to mark the moment the deadly attacks took place.

However, throughout the years, more and more names have been added to the list, as remains of the victims are continuing to be identified today.

In 2001, scientists made a commitment to bring everyone home - and they have firmly stood by it.

As per CBS news, over 1,600 victims have been identified since 2001, but there are 1,100 more who sadly remain unidentified.

In August, the New York City Office of the Chief Medical Examiner (OCME) announced that three further victims had been named, following DNA analysis.

Ryan Fitzgerald, 26, of Floral Park, New York, and Barbara Keating, 72, of Palm Springs, California, became the 1,651st and 1,652nd victims.

While another adult woman, whose name is being withheld at the request of her family, has become the 1,653rd positively identified victim, the OCME said in the announcement.

And now, assistant director of forensic biology Mark Desire, who is leading the lab and team working on World Trade Center identifications, has explained why they're still working on it.

Speaking to NPR, he said: "One of the biggest questions we get is, 'You're still working on this? Why haven't you finished?'"

More than 1,000 victims still remain unidentified (Gary Hershorn/Getty Images)

The medical expert explained that even though all of the remains have already been examined, it has taken years of technological advancements for any DNA to be extracted.

Desire said: "We just keep going back to those samples where there was no DNA. Now the technology's better and we're able to do things today that even last year we weren't able to do."

How are the 9/11 victims' remains being identified?

Desire has expressed how difficult it is to identify some of the remains from Ground Zero, due to the conditions they were recovered in.

He explained: "The fire, the water that was used to put out the fire, the sunlight, the mould, bacteria, insects, jet fuel, diesel fuel, chemicals in those buildings - all these things destroy DNA."

While things like tattoos and dental examinations were previous indicators, scientists are now mostly analysing bone fragments for DNA.

They do this by using a small piece of bone, which goes into liquid nitrogen mill to freeze it and pulverise it into a fine powder.

This complicated process will unlock any cells that might contain DNA, hopefully connecting them to a genetic profile in their database.

Today America is mourning on the 24th anniversary of the attacks (Adam Gray/Getty Images)

Dr Jason Graham, New York City's chief medical examiner, agreed that the office is not willing to give up.

He affirmed: "That commitment was a very solemn promise to do whatever it takes, for as long as it takes, to get them identified."

The important work by forensic investigators is taking place inside the medical examiner's DNA crime lab, which is located in a 15-story building in Manhattan.

Speaking of how crucial the identification is for families, Desire said: "You're in a room … working on those same remains every day, it gets pretty tedious.

"It's important work, but to see how important it is to people, and they're just crying and hugging you all these years later, it's so powerful."

He added: "And I think that is an inspiration to come back here, and we've got to keep making these identifications and keep pushing this technology."