Their remains were eaten by rats. It is NYC after all.

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9/11 families argue to remove ashes from NYC dump

NEW YORK (AP) -- A lawyer has asked a federal appeals court to let families of victims of the World Trade Center attacks remove ashes of their loved ones from a garbage dump.

Attorney Norman Siegel told the three-judge panel in Manhattan on Wednesday that 17 families he represents want fine particles of debris containing remains to be taken from a dump on Staten Island to a more respectful place.

City lawyer Jim Tyrrell referred to the debris as "undifferentiated dirt" and urged the court to toss out a lawsuit brought by the families.

Siegel said it was as if relatives were left on top of garbage.

A lower court judge had ruled that it was not an issue for the court to decide. The appeals court did not immediately rule.