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CNN Live At Daybreak
Shared Grief in Nightclub Inferno
Aired February 24, 2003 - 06:02 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: The families of the victims of the Rhode Island nightclub fire will gather again tonight in shared grief. A memorial service is planned, while investigators try to get some answers to the tragedy.
Our Whitney Casey joins us now from West Warwick, Rhode Island with more.
Hi there -- Whitney.
WHITNEY CASEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi. Good morning, Fredricka.
Well, the governor characterized yesterday as an emotional odyssey as family members came here to the site for the first time, the site of the nightclub. As you can see behind me, they've left many momentums down this fence as they came here for the rest of the day.
And the governor had some other bad news; 97 is now the total victims here, 42 of those victims have been identified, 80 remain in hospitals. But the governor credits the identification process to those pathology teams that have been working around the clock and to that burgeoning database of dental records.
But as this ID process continues, the investigation becomes paramount. State Attorney General Patrick Lynch has said that the Great White band has been very forthcoming in their questioning, but he would like the owners of this club, Michael and Jeffrey Derderian, to come forward with more questioning.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PATRICK LYNCH, R.I. ATTORNEY GENERAL: I would hope that Mr. Derderian is as cooperative with the law enforcement agencies involved in this investigation as he has been with the press.
JEFFREY DERDERIAN, 'THE STATION' CLUB CO-OWNER: There are many questions surrounding the tragedy that need to be answered. And like you, we want the answers as well. I was interviewed on the scene Thursday by state and local authorities, and I've provided all of the information requested.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CASEY: Now the question of culpability continues to shift. Who was responsible for these pyrotechnics here? In the meantime, the governor has put a moratorium on pyrotechnics used in buildings that have the capacity of between 50 and 300 people, the building's capacity here. But most importantly, the governor says, is that task of identifying those bodies, 55 of which are still unidentified -- Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: All right, Whitney, thank you very much from West Warwick.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
Aired February 24, 2003 - 06:02 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: The families of the victims of the Rhode Island nightclub fire will gather again tonight in shared grief. A memorial service is planned, while investigators try to get some answers to the tragedy.
Our Whitney Casey joins us now from West Warwick, Rhode Island with more.
Hi there -- Whitney.
WHITNEY CASEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi. Good morning, Fredricka.
Well, the governor characterized yesterday as an emotional odyssey as family members came here to the site for the first time, the site of the nightclub. As you can see behind me, they've left many momentums down this fence as they came here for the rest of the day.
And the governor had some other bad news; 97 is now the total victims here, 42 of those victims have been identified, 80 remain in hospitals. But the governor credits the identification process to those pathology teams that have been working around the clock and to that burgeoning database of dental records.
But as this ID process continues, the investigation becomes paramount. State Attorney General Patrick Lynch has said that the Great White band has been very forthcoming in their questioning, but he would like the owners of this club, Michael and Jeffrey Derderian, to come forward with more questioning.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PATRICK LYNCH, R.I. ATTORNEY GENERAL: I would hope that Mr. Derderian is as cooperative with the law enforcement agencies involved in this investigation as he has been with the press.
JEFFREY DERDERIAN, 'THE STATION' CLUB CO-OWNER: There are many questions surrounding the tragedy that need to be answered. And like you, we want the answers as well. I was interviewed on the scene Thursday by state and local authorities, and I've provided all of the information requested.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CASEY: Now the question of culpability continues to shift. Who was responsible for these pyrotechnics here? In the meantime, the governor has put a moratorium on pyrotechnics used in buildings that have the capacity of between 50 and 300 people, the building's capacity here. But most importantly, the governor says, is that task of identifying those bodies, 55 of which are still unidentified -- Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: All right, Whitney, thank you very much from West Warwick.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
