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CNN Live At Daybreak
Search Teams in Iraq Continue to Look for Bodies
Aired August 20, 2003 - 06:33 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.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Search teams are still looking for bodies in the rubble of the U.N. office in Baghdad. Seventeen confirmed dead, but there may be more.
A bomb-laden cement truck was driven through a wire fence and into the side of the Canal Hotel. It exploded -- you can see it there -- blowing out a section of the building. One hundred wounded in this boldest attack since President Bush declared the end of major combat.
Among those killed was the U.N.'s top envoy in Iraq, Sergio Vieira de Mello. He was trapped in the rubble for several hours before he died.
Shortly after the blast, the blue and white United Nations flag was lowered to half-staff at U.N. headquarters in New York. And this morning, all of the national flags that ring the building are gone from their poles.
Just about two hours ago, the U.N. secretary-general, Kofi Annan, spoke to reporters in Stockholm. He was clearly emotional, and also seemed to indirectly criticize the United States for not being able to secure Iraq, but he was adamant about this: The U.N. will not leave Iraq.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KOFI ANNAN, U.N. SECRETARY-GENERAL: Yesterday was a dark Tuesday -- a dark Tuesday for the United Nations, for Iraq and for international solidarity. On that day, the United Nations lost some of its most outstanding public servants, especially Sergio Vieira de Mello, who was really a most brilliant colleague, our brightest and best, and many others have also been injured.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Right now, Annan is on his way to New York, where he'll talk about Iraq with the Security Council later today. The secretary-general may have more tragedy to deal with too, because they're still sifting through that rubble at the Canal Hotel. No one knows how many more are dead underneath the rubble.
Joining us live on the phone from Baghdad, Rym Brahimi.
Is there any way to know how many more bodies may be underneath that rubble -- Rym?
RYM BRAHIMI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Carol, it's very difficult for the time being, and the reason for that is that the U.S. military has cordoned off that area. They're not letting anyone through, as they bring in heavy machinery to sift through the rubble. They've been working on that all morning.
Now, about a little more than a half hour ago, we saw them pull out a body on a stretcher -- no idea of whether it was alive or dead. But we do know that not everybody has been accounted for. So, the figures for now are still at least 17 dead and close to 100 injured. But there are some people that are still missing, and (UNINTELLIGIBLE) question marks of what we'll have to elucidate later -- Carol.
COSTELLO: All right, I know you're busy out there. We'll let you go. Rym Brahimi on the phone live from Baghdad this morning.
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 August 20, 2003 - 06:33 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Search teams are still looking for bodies in the rubble of the U.N. office in Baghdad. Seventeen confirmed dead, but there may be more.
A bomb-laden cement truck was driven through a wire fence and into the side of the Canal Hotel. It exploded -- you can see it there -- blowing out a section of the building. One hundred wounded in this boldest attack since President Bush declared the end of major combat.
Among those killed was the U.N.'s top envoy in Iraq, Sergio Vieira de Mello. He was trapped in the rubble for several hours before he died.
Shortly after the blast, the blue and white United Nations flag was lowered to half-staff at U.N. headquarters in New York. And this morning, all of the national flags that ring the building are gone from their poles.
Just about two hours ago, the U.N. secretary-general, Kofi Annan, spoke to reporters in Stockholm. He was clearly emotional, and also seemed to indirectly criticize the United States for not being able to secure Iraq, but he was adamant about this: The U.N. will not leave Iraq.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KOFI ANNAN, U.N. SECRETARY-GENERAL: Yesterday was a dark Tuesday -- a dark Tuesday for the United Nations, for Iraq and for international solidarity. On that day, the United Nations lost some of its most outstanding public servants, especially Sergio Vieira de Mello, who was really a most brilliant colleague, our brightest and best, and many others have also been injured.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Right now, Annan is on his way to New York, where he'll talk about Iraq with the Security Council later today. The secretary-general may have more tragedy to deal with too, because they're still sifting through that rubble at the Canal Hotel. No one knows how many more are dead underneath the rubble.
Joining us live on the phone from Baghdad, Rym Brahimi.
Is there any way to know how many more bodies may be underneath that rubble -- Rym?
RYM BRAHIMI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Carol, it's very difficult for the time being, and the reason for that is that the U.S. military has cordoned off that area. They're not letting anyone through, as they bring in heavy machinery to sift through the rubble. They've been working on that all morning.
Now, about a little more than a half hour ago, we saw them pull out a body on a stretcher -- no idea of whether it was alive or dead. But we do know that not everybody has been accounted for. So, the figures for now are still at least 17 dead and close to 100 injured. But there are some people that are still missing, and (UNINTELLIGIBLE) question marks of what we'll have to elucidate later -- Carol.
COSTELLO: All right, I know you're busy out there. We'll let you go. Rym Brahimi on the phone live from Baghdad this morning.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
