9/11-related illnesses caused more deaths than attack says Victim Compensation Fund report

As per the VCF 20th Anniversary special report released on Tuesday, more individuals are likely to have died from illnesses related to the Al-Qaeda attacks on New York and Washington than were killed on the day of the attacks. Since its opening in 2011, the September 11 Victim Compensation Fund (VCF) has received over 67,000 claims. According to the VCF, about 3,900 of those claims were made on behalf of someone who died as a result of a 9/11-related disease.

Rupa Bhattacharyya, the 'special master' who administers the fund, said, "hat means that the number of people believed to have died of a 9/11-related illness subsequent to 9/11 has now exceeded the number of people who died on 9/11. More people are now believed to have died of 9/11-related illnesses than were lost on September 11, 2001."

Nearly 50% 9/11 survivors diagnosed with cancer

Nearly half of individuals who have filed claims in recent years have been diagnosed with cancer. Al-Qaeda hijackers flew planes into the World Trade Center towers in New York and the Pentagon in Washington, killing over 3,000 people. In Pennsylvania, another plane crashed into a field.

Following the attacks, a compensation fund was established for the victims' families. Another fund was established in 2011 for first responders and anyone suffering from chronic health issues as a result of the 9/11 attacks. More than 40,000 people have received compensation from the VCF, totalling more than $8.95 billion.

Kennerth R. Feinberg and Camille S. Biros, 'special master' to the VCF 20th ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL REPORT, stated, "Our most difficult decision had little to do with calculating the amounts of individual compensation or determining eligibility. The more daunting task involved our decision – without clear statutory requirement – to invite any surviving family member or victim voluntarily to participate in a confidential hearing. Approximately 1,500 claimants sought the opportunity voluntarily to engage in a private confidential hearing officially transcribed under oath. The emotional impact of these private hearings took a toll on all of us. But family members welcomed the opportunity to validate the memory of lost loved ones or express anger at life’s misfortune."

President Joe Biden will celebrate the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks by visiting the locations of the attacks on Saturday.

Picture Credit: AP