U.S. CUSTOMS ACCOUNTS FOR ALL PERSONNEL FROM WORLD TRADE CENTER OFFICE
A U.S. CUSTOMS spokesperson said that all New York personnel have been accounted for in the wake of explosions that destroyed towers One and Two of the World Trade Center Tuesday.
The customs office, which was located in the World Trade Center complex, suffered severe damage from the bombing.
“We had 760 people in the building, and we have accounted for all of them,” said Kevin Bell, U.S. Customs spokesperson.
“It is pretty much buried,” one customs official said of the building. “It is buried except for one corner.”
The location served as a full service office. It housed national import specialists and processed drawback. A customs official said Friday that the service has moved services across town, and even out of state, to process customs services. “So far, we have Newark and JFK, and we are telling everyone in trade that they can process their entry in those offices,” a customs official said.
Also in the New York office were offices for labs, agents, inspectors and lawyers.