Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Live Sunday
Victims' Families Visit Site of Nightclub Fire in Rhode Island
Aired February 23, 2003 - 18:03 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 LIN, CNN ANCHOR: We are used to covering tragedy, but you never really get used to the aftermath. And we are talking about the grieving up in Rhode Island. Consider that families have endured watching the video of loved ones jammed into the doorway of a burning Rhode Island nightclub, trying in vain to break free. Well, today relatives got to see the horrible site for themselves.
CNN national correspondent Bob Franken is at the nightclub site in West Warwick, Rhode Island. How did it go today, Bob?
BOB FRANKEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, it was obviously, very, very sad. Very sad. We are seeing now the officials have allowed us right up to the site where the families came, as a matter of fact. And you can see in back of me, the memorial, much of it is their creation. Family, friends. You can see pictures. You can see pictures like the one that says, "we will all miss you. We have not given up hope." Even though hope is regrettably dwindling. You can see the tile of flowers that has already begun.
Now, this area is going to be closed off in just a very short while. It is going to be returned to investigations, the various fire marshals, forensic people will be coming back.
But let me just show you what we're talking about here. If you look inside the gate, you can see as close as you have ever seen it. You can see the charred remains of what was until Thursday night the Station nightclub, until it has turned into that inferno which has taken so far 96 lives, with possibly more going to come. We have had no report of anybody else losing his life yet, although we are hearing about 25 people are still in the hospital listed in critical condition.
Now this site was visited, as I mentioned a short moment ago, by the families. They were brought in by buses. News media were kept quite a distance away. Buses, several of the buses brought the families in. Families, loved ones that type of thing. They wanted to be able to take a look for themselves at this site, which has become sort of a memorial to their grief.
They came. For the most part, they just watched stoically and left what we have been seeing there. But there were a few who were so overcome that they had to take advantages of the ambulances that were on site.
Now they have gone back to the hotel where, in fact, they're meeting with the governor right now who is expected to be holding one of his periodic news conferences in just a short while.
But let me just show you, they opened this up, and I want to show you what the fences here, they have had any number of people who have been coming to take a look, to leave their memorials. You can see some of the memorials you are seeing here. The teddy bears, the pictures, the flowers. It is the type of thing which so regrettably has become part of a ritual when you have a tragedy, particularly something as awesome as this. The people of Rhode Island describe themselves as really just a small town. It is, of course, our smallest state. And just about everybody here has been hugely affected by this.
You can see the people who have come, and they're just looking and sharing the sadness. The sadness that is being shared around the world. A sadness that is almost unspeakable, one the families had a firsthand look at today -- Carol.
LIN: All right, thank you very much, Bob.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Island>
Aired February 23, 2003 - 18:03 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: We are used to covering tragedy, but you never really get used to the aftermath. And we are talking about the grieving up in Rhode Island. Consider that families have endured watching the video of loved ones jammed into the doorway of a burning Rhode Island nightclub, trying in vain to break free. Well, today relatives got to see the horrible site for themselves.
CNN national correspondent Bob Franken is at the nightclub site in West Warwick, Rhode Island. How did it go today, Bob?
BOB FRANKEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, it was obviously, very, very sad. Very sad. We are seeing now the officials have allowed us right up to the site where the families came, as a matter of fact. And you can see in back of me, the memorial, much of it is their creation. Family, friends. You can see pictures. You can see pictures like the one that says, "we will all miss you. We have not given up hope." Even though hope is regrettably dwindling. You can see the tile of flowers that has already begun.
Now, this area is going to be closed off in just a very short while. It is going to be returned to investigations, the various fire marshals, forensic people will be coming back.
But let me just show you what we're talking about here. If you look inside the gate, you can see as close as you have ever seen it. You can see the charred remains of what was until Thursday night the Station nightclub, until it has turned into that inferno which has taken so far 96 lives, with possibly more going to come. We have had no report of anybody else losing his life yet, although we are hearing about 25 people are still in the hospital listed in critical condition.
Now this site was visited, as I mentioned a short moment ago, by the families. They were brought in by buses. News media were kept quite a distance away. Buses, several of the buses brought the families in. Families, loved ones that type of thing. They wanted to be able to take a look for themselves at this site, which has become sort of a memorial to their grief.
They came. For the most part, they just watched stoically and left what we have been seeing there. But there were a few who were so overcome that they had to take advantages of the ambulances that were on site.
Now they have gone back to the hotel where, in fact, they're meeting with the governor right now who is expected to be holding one of his periodic news conferences in just a short while.
But let me just show you, they opened this up, and I want to show you what the fences here, they have had any number of people who have been coming to take a look, to leave their memorials. You can see some of the memorials you are seeing here. The teddy bears, the pictures, the flowers. It is the type of thing which so regrettably has become part of a ritual when you have a tragedy, particularly something as awesome as this. The people of Rhode Island describe themselves as really just a small town. It is, of course, our smallest state. And just about everybody here has been hugely affected by this.
You can see the people who have come, and they're just looking and sharing the sadness. The sadness that is being shared around the world. A sadness that is almost unspeakable, one the families had a firsthand look at today -- Carol.
LIN: All right, thank you very much, Bob.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Island>
