Foreign Ministry unable to confirm number of Polish victims in US attacks

The Foreign Ministry has confirmed that no Polish diplomats or members of their families were killed in the terrorist attacks in New York and Washington. Also, the staff of the LOT and Orbis offices are all reported to be safe. However, there are believed to be some Polish victims, and it could take weeks before a list is compiled of all those who lost their lives in the attack. No one knows how many Poles were in New York at the time. According to one senior Foreign Ministry official, no Polish companies had offices in the destroyed World Trade Center. Ministry spokesman Grzegorz Dziemidowicz promised, "Our missions will give every assistance. However, the rescue work makes it difficult to reach the Polish Consulate General, since it is located in the middle of Manhattan, near the area of the attack." (Zycie, p. 8) P.W.