Partial remains of several victims of the September 11th terrorist attacks ended up in a landfill, it was revealed today.

According to a Pentagon report, the remains came from two of the three sites of the September 11th attacks: the Pentagon and the Shanksville, Pennsylvania crash site of United Airlines Flight 93.

The report described the remains as those that "could not be testified or identified," leading the Chicago Tribune to speculate that they could have come from "victims and even hijackers." The number of victims involved in the supreme fuck-up was unclear.

The U. S. Air Force mortuary in Dover, Delaware, which oversaw the remains, has a history of mishandling the dead. Last year, it was revealed that the mortuary twice lost body parts and, under a policy that was subsequently abolished in 2008, allowed the partial remains of at least 274 troops to be dumped in a Virginia landfill. Today, all partial military remains are buried at sea.

Lisa Linden, a spokeswoman for Families of Flight 93, called the landfill revelations "impossible to believe," as the group had been informed that remains from the site were under the control of the coroner of Somerset County, PA, where the plane went down.

"Our understanding," she added, "is that no remains were sent to Dover."

For their part, U.S. Air Force officials seemed equally incredulous, which does little to inspire confidence. Air Force Chief of Staff General Norton Schwartz and Air Force Secretary Michael Donley reportedly said they had not been aware of the incidents and were unable to provide more details.

When asked who was responsible for the mortuary's lack of oversight, General Schwartz was frank. "You're looking at him. Me. I'm responsible."

[Image via AP]