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(CNN) - A firefighter who died on September 11 was buried Tuesday after his remains were identified 18 years later.
Firefighters and loved ones gathered to mourn Michael Haub after his remains were conclusively identified, the Uniformed Firefighters Association said in a statement. The note says that the service should provide his family with closure and peace of mind after the coroner identified last week more of his remains that were recovered in the Ground Zero.
- What he left on September 11, 2001
Michael Haub comforts his mother, Erika Starke, during a funeral service for his father, Michael Haub.
As of July this year, the remains of only 60% of the 2,753 people who died at the World Trade Center that day have been positively identified, according to the coroner's office.
Haub was a 13-year veteran of Ladder Company 4, according to the association.
"We remember him and the other 342 firefighters who perished that fateful day, and we will always be grateful for the courage they show," he said in a statement Tuesday.
In addition to the firefighters killed that day, hundreds more have died in the following years. New York officials say another 200 firefighters have lost their lives due to illnesses related to the time they worked at the World Trade Center after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.
"It is almost incomprehensible that after losing 343 members on September 11, another 200 FDNY members have now died due to a World Trade Center illness," fire commissioner Daniel Nigro said in July. “These heroes gave their lives bravely fighting to rescue others. We will never forget them. ”
Members of the New York Fire Department attend Michael Haub's funeral.
Exposure to the disaster following the terrorist attacks of September 11 may have caused a variety of health conditions, including acute traumatic injuries, as well as diseases of the respiratory and digestive systems, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC ).
People exposed to the attacks also developed cancers that include lymphoma, leukemia and myeloma, they added.
On September 11, 2001, 19 men hijacked four commercial planes loaded with fuel to the west coast destinations. A total of 2,977 people died in New York City, Washington and on the outskirts of Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
The attack was orchestrated by al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden.
CNN's Rob Frehse contributed to this report.
World trade center