Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Thursday, November 29, 2001
78 Britons Died on September 11
The number of Britons killed in the September 11 terrorist attacks was 78, the Government announced Wednesday on the eve of a national memorial service at Westminster Abbey.
The number of Britons killed in the September 11 terrorist attacks was 78, the Government announced Wednesday on the eve of a national memorial service at Westminster Abbey.
The Queen, the Prince of Wales, Tony Blair and the former US President George Bush will attend the service.
Initial estimates put the British death toll as high as 500 but the figure has dropped steadily. The total has stabilised at 78 after clarifying which victims had dual nationality, Tessa Jowell, the minister co-ordinating support for British victims, said.
A permanent memorial would be built to the British victims, in consultation with the families, Ms Jowell said. Proposals include a garden in the City, since several of the dead worked in the financial sector, or a sculpture park.
No official lists of the dead are being released after requests from the victims' families, she said. A roll of names would be included in any memorial only with the consent of the families.