USA: PENTAGON USS COLE ATTACK PRESS BRIEFING

(17 Oct 2000) English/Nat
XFA
Debris from the site of the U-S-S Cole attack has arrived in Washington for analysis.
Seventeen American sailors were killed in an apparent suicide bombing attack on the Navy destroyer in Yemen last week.
About 70 F-B-I agents are in Yemen investigating the scene.
Pentagon spokesman, Rear Admiral Craig Quigley, said the identities of the six recovered remains would be released once the families had been notified.
He said the Navy initially believed that seven remains had been recovered but revised that to six.
SOUNDBITE: (English)
"A total of six sets of remains have been found on board the Cole during the course of today. We are working to identify the remains and to contact the next of kin of those individuals and that notification and identification process continues as we speak."
SUPER CAPTION: Rear Admiral Craig Quigley, Pentagon spokesman
In all, 17 sailors were killed in what U-S officials believe was a terrorist suicide attack on the Cole last Thursday while it was refueling in Aden.
Five bodies were recovered last week and were flown back to the United States.
Two other bodies had been spotted aboard the ship last week but could not be removed due to the extreme damage caused by the bomb.
SOUNDBITE: (English)
"Now on the recovery, and the diving and the salvage operations that are going on, yes this is dangerous work. Anybody who has even a sport scuba diver over the years has a good understanding of its inherently dangerous work. When you are working around a damaged ship with the integrity of some of the parts you are trying to work your way through in order to find remains and what-not, you just have a level of difficulty and an inherent sense of danger to all that."
SUPER CAPTION: Rear Admiral Craig Quigley, Pentagon spokesman
Quigley said the Cole remained stable in the Aden harbour, and that two additional Navy ships - the amphibious warships U-S-S Anchorage and the U-S-S Duluth - arrived on Tuesday to provide more assistance for the crew of the Cole.
A third ship, the amphibious assault ship U-S-S Tarawa, is due in Aden on Wednesday.
SOUNDBITE: (English)
"The three vessels of the amphibious unit, amphibious readiness group that two today, and the third tomorrow provide, these are very large ships, very capable medical facilities, large capability to provide food, laundry services, extra bunks for not only the military personnel but also some of the other US government personnel to possibly move ashore or move afloat on board these vessels and reduce the American footprint ashore."
SUPER CAPTION: Rear Admiral Craig Quigley, Pentagon spokesman
A memorial service for victims of the bombing is scheduled on Wednesday at Norfolk Naval Station, the Cole's home port in Virginia.
President Clinton and Defence Secretary William Cohen plan to attend.
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