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CNN Live At Daybreak

Boat Loads of Dead Being Carried Out of New York

Aired September 12, 2001 - 07:33   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.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: One of the things I'd like to share with our audience now is some new information that's come out, information that is going to continue to make the American public sick.

The Associated Press is now reporting that into the night ferries carried loads of bodies across the Hudson River. This was a spokesman for Jersey City who provided this information. We understand that three cab companies actually ripped the seats out of their vans to help carry the dead to the military ocean terminal in Bayonne, New Jersey.

This information continues to devastate anybody that lives in this city, anybody that lives in the nation, for that matter, Miles. Once again, city officials have no idea what kind of reality they confront in the rubble of the World Trade Center.

As you can see, behind me this morning there is still a shroud of smoke over what once was the twin towers and buried or almost invisible in that cloud is the Statue of Liberty, perhaps one of the strongest symbols of American freedom.

Gary, can we establish contact with you now?

GARY TUCHMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Paula, can you hear me OK now?

ZAHN: Now, I can. Yes.

TUCHMAN: OK.

ZAHN: Please update us, if you would, on the rescues taking place right now.

TUCHMAN: Let me explain what we're doing really quickly so our viewers understand. Because we are so close to the World Trade Center, we can't get a truck here that normally gives us our live signal. That's why we're on the video phone right now. This is the phone that you've seen us use before in China and in Antarctica before. It's a phone that you bring with you, a video phone that you bring with you to areas where you can't get a truck, and that's why we're talking on this telephone right now and giving you a signal on the videophone.

What we told you, five firefighters have been rescued from under the rubble at the World Trade Center. In addition, an additional police officer has been rescued, but he has been seriously burned.

With us right now -- I'm going to have to put it on the telephone but you'll see him talk -- is Bill Dudey (ph). He is with the New York Fire Department. Tell me about the people who have been rescued, sir.

BILL DUDEY: From what I understand, it happened last night. There were, it was a company of firefighters. There was an officer and five firefighters survived the collapse. They wound up in a void and they stayed there for maybe five or six hours. I guess they had enough air. And somehow they, I don't know how they got to them but they did, they were able to get them out and pull them out.

I don't know if they're injured or, you know, as far as I know they're alive.

TUCHMAN: Now let me ask you about that void. Is there potential for more people to have survived in that void? You saw it.

DUDEY: Oh, absolutely. I didn't see the void, but, you know, any void down there, there's a lot of potential for people to survive, especially underneath the first floor of the building. It goes down five or six stories with the train platforms and things. And there could be a lot of survivors there.

TUCHMAN: Sir, Tell me how many hours you've been there.

DUDEY: I've been here since noon yesterday. So I don't know what time it is now, but...

TUCHMAN: We're talking about right now 18 hours you've been there.

DUDEY: Yes.

TUCHMAN: What is -- there's emergency vehicles so we're going to get out of the way so we don't get run over here. Let me ask you, what is the scene like right there, because we can't get right next to the building. We're a couple of blocks away from it right now.

DUDEY: It's just absolute devastation. It's just steel and rubble all over the place. There's about four or five inches of concrete ash. You really can't discern shapes or anything. It's just, just piles of garbage and that's what they're using the cranes right now, to pull up as much as they can and try and dig their way in and try and find one of these voids I was talking about where maybe we can find more people.

TUCHMAN: This is painful to talk about, sir, but have you seen victims, people who perished in this?

DUDEY: No, I haven't. There were, there are scattered bodies around. I haven't seen any. We haven't gotten to any that I've seen yet. But I know of some that have been taken out.

TUCHMAN: Psychologically, how are you handling this? DUDEY: Well, it's very tough. I have a lot of friends that I know were working yesterday and they were up in that building yesterday and I'm sure they perished in the building yesterday. And I'm sure as more news comes out there'll be more and more people that I know that died, both for the fire department, the police department and that worked in the twin towers.

TUCHMAN: Bill Dudey, thanks for joining us. We appreciate your time.

DUDEY: You bet. Thank you.

TUCHMAN: We come to you, Paula, from Church Street. Church Street is a street that led right into the World Trade Center just a couple of blocks away. This is a street where I used to, when I used to live in New York City I used to roller blade up and down this street and it was a landmark. I knew that when I got to the World Trade Center building I had finished my six miles roller lading. And now you look down here and all you see is that white cloud floating above there and no more two 110-story buildings -- Paula, back to you.

ZAHN: Gary, I was touched by what your interviewee just had to say and I guess the one piece of news that has been very difficult for New Yorkers to accept is the fact that last -- or yesterday they lost their fire chief and their deputy fire chief. What is the ripple effect of that kind of news?

TUCHMAN: I think people here still just can't believe it. We've talked to so many fire officials and police officials here who say first of all, I mean, this has been a part of the skyline, the two World Trade Center buildings, since 1973. We're talking 28 years you've had these two huge 110-story buildings on the end of Manhattan Island. So that in itself, the fact that these buildings are no longer here, is startling. And now the fact that they know that perhaps there are thousands of people who have perished -- and we want to give you a look now down the street where all the emergency officials are going -- but that there are thousands of people who may have perished and whose bodies are still there. Many people are just having a very difficult time grasping the concept of that.

ZAHN: And Gary, we on the screen are focusing on some new information from the Associated Press that says now barges are in the process of carrying bodies to morgues across the river in New Jersey. Once again, I guess the only positive news this morning is the fact that six of these potential rescues are under way.

TUCHMAN: You know, Paula, I think it's certainly positive news, what we just told you about, that there have been rescues. But the fact is there were so many people in that building that it's sad to say the odds favor that some people would survive something like this, that they would be in some type of void. And hopefully many more people will be found.

So unfortunately I don't think that's miraculous news. I hate using the word miracle in any story, but certainly not in this story. You would expect some people to survive. But unfortunately we're going to find that a lot more people are going to have perished by the time this is all over.

ZAHN: Gary, I know you've had a chance to interview a number of people out there this morning. What are, what is their biggest fear as they attempt more of these rescues this morning?

TUCHMAN: Well, I think the fear is, especially, you just heard from Bill Dudey, that they're going to personally find their friends who have perished in this. Remember, there are 300 firefighters still missing, 30, 40, 50 or 60 police officers still missing and we've been dealing today with a lot of police officers and we're very close to the scene right now and a lot of the police officers, frankly, weren't so happy that we were so close.

And we've tried to be as nice as possible. Obviously, we try to be nice in any emergency situation, but particularly this one because we know these police officers perhaps lost personal friends in this tragedy.

So it's a very difficult situation all the way around.

ZAHN: All right, Gary Tuchman, thanks so much for that update. We will continue to come to you throughout this morning, throughout the morning because you, of course, are closer to what is left of the World Trade Center than just about anybody out there on the street. Thanks so much for that update.

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