NEW YORK

Firefighters’ remains retrieved from World Trade Center site

Recovery workers have retrieved the remains of as many as 10 more firefighters, including one of the fire department’s highest-ranking victims of the World Trade Center attack, officials said Thursday.

Assistant Chief Donald Burns, 61, was among seven firefighters found late Wednesday or early Thursday, said firefighter Mike Prendergast, a department spokesman. The remains of what appeared to be another three firefighters were discovered Thursday evening.

Two civilians also were found, Prendergast said.

Burns was setting up a command post when the trade center’s south tower collapsed. He had been cited for valor five times during his 39-year career.

New York

22 charged with bilking charities after Sept. 11

New York authorities charged 22 individuals Thursday with falsely reporting the deaths of family members to obtain more than $760,000 in government and private relief funds intended for victims of the World Trade Center attack.

Those family members either never existed, were still alive, or had died earlier, officials said. Authorities accused the individuals of filing fraudulent claims to receive money from the American Red Cross, a Manhattan victim-assistance group called Safe Horizon, the Social Security Administration or the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

The charges against them are punishable by up to 15 years in jail.

New York

2nd soldier dies after shells strike near mess tent

A second soldier has died from injuries he suffered when two artillery shells missed their mark and exploded near a mess tent at Fort Drum during a training exercise, an Army spokesman said Thursday.

Staff Sgt. Eric Hall, 34, of Phoenix, died Wednesday night at Samaritan Medical Center, said Maj. Kenneth McDorman of the 10th Mountain Division.

The two shells fired from a howitzer Wednesday landed about 1 1/2 miles short of target, exploding near where soldiers were eating breakfast.

William Hamm, 34, also was killed. Of the 13 soldiers wounded, seven remained hospitalized Thursday.