The number of Guyanese missing and dead in the terrorist attacks on the United States remained at 23 yesterday and Guyana's Ambassador to the US said that no new reports had been received.

One person was confirmed as deceased and 22 reported as missing.

However, Dr Ishmael told Stabroek News that the number of Guyanese who perished in the September 11, disaster could go up as a result of the increased estimate of those who perished. New York City Mayor Rudy Guliani has put the number of persons missing in the attack on the twin towers at the World Trade Center complex at 6,333.

Meanwhile, a number of Guyanese, Caribbean and Indian artistes were due to appear at a solidarity gathering at 131-04 Liberty Avenue for the Guyanese and Caribbean nationals who perished in attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. Among the artistes that were scheduled to appear were Calypso Rose, Jamaica's Dobby Dobson, Annan Yankarran, Shaheen, a Bangladeshi singer, Johnny Lawrence from Bombay, India, Anoop Danpat, and Guyanese Terry Gajraj and Cliff Joseph. Other Guyanese radio and television personalities were also scheduled to appear. The leaders of the various religious organizations in the community there will lead the gathering in prayers during the event.

Guyana's Consul General in New York, Brentnol Evans, told Stabroek News yesterday that the venue had been made available by the Aryas Spirtual Center, which is managed by Pandit Ramlall.

The venue for the Inter-Faith Service to be held next Sunday has been moved to the Central United Methodist Church, Hanson Place in Brooklyn just off the junction of Flatbush and Atlantic Avenues.

Dr Ishmael also reported that there was some anger in the Guyanese community in New York at the omission by the New York Daily News of Guyana from among the countries whose nationals perished on September 11. Included in the list were countries with far less victims that Guyana. Dr Ishmael said he had advised that they write to the newspaper protesting the omission. The nationals of some 82 countries are estimated to have perished in the attack on the World Trade Center.

Evans, told Stabroek News that himself and representatives from organizations such as the Guyana Tri-State Alliance, the Guyana Nurses Association and the Guyana Ex-Policemen's Association were visiting the relatives of the missing persons to offer their support.

Evans said New York City officials have announced that the basement of the World Trade Center had been flooded. Also, he said that the gases emanating from the site would make survival unlikely. He said that since the announcement families were clinging to the hope that their loved ones may be hospitalized at one of the 130 hospitals across the tri-state area to which the victims were taken.

However, Evans said that they faced the difficulty of being unable to "run the wards" of these institutions as they were only to allowed to peruse the lists of the names of the patients.

Dr Ishmael also reported that the 23 countries of the Rio Treaty passed a resolution at the Organisation of American States pledging assistance to the US and to each other in combating terrorism. Only the Bahamas, Trinidad and Tobago and Haiti of the CARICOM member states are signatories to the Rio Treaty.

Dr Ishmael told Stabroek News that the resolution somewhat mirrored the NATO Treaty article invoked shortly after the attack, that said that an attack on one was an attack on all the NATO members. Efforts by Argentina to invoke such a resolution of the Rio Treaty members at the time of the Falklands War were frustrated by the US because it supported Britain.

He said that the specially convened meeting of foreign ministers of the OAS also passed a resolution expressing support and solidarity with the US as a result of the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon in Arlington Virginia.

The Guyanese confirmed dead was Pamela Boyce, 43, an assistant vice-president for accounting of Carr Futures, which was located on the 92nd floor of one of the twin towers.

Those missing are Kris Romeo Bishundat, 23, Navy Information Systems technician, who was stationed at the Pentagon when the American Airlines plane crashed into the building. Those missing in the New York attack are:

Shivonne Mentis who resided in Hollis, Queens and worked with Marsh Enterprises on the 93rd floor in the north tower;

Astrid Sohan, who worked with Marsh and McLennan in one of the towers;

Ronald Singh, who worked at Windows on the World, on the 107th floor in north tower;

Kamini Singh, who worked at Windows on the World, on the 107th floor in north tower;

Shiv Shankar, of Richmond Hill;

Anett Dataram, of South Ozone Park, New York;

Nizam Hafiz, former Guyana middle order batsman who worked on the 94th floor in the north tower;

Patrick Adams, a former Guyana Defence Force senior non-commissioned officer on worked for Fuji Bank as a security officer on the 80th floor;

John Charles, security officer at the WTC;

Babita Guman, who worked for Fiduciary Trust on the 97th floor in the southern tower;

Sita Shewnarine, who worked for Fiduciary Trust on the 97th floor in the southern tower;

Joyce Stanton and Patricia Stanton;

Vanavah Thompson who worked for ABM and was assigned to Marsh USA and was last seen on the 73rd floor;

Ameena Rasool, who worked with the Marsh and Maskan Insurance Company on the 98th floor of one of the two twin towers;

Ricknauth Jaggernauth who had been employed at NTX Interiors on the 104th floor of one of the towers. He resided at 164 Pennsylvania Ave, Brooklyn;

Hardai Prabhu who worked with Marsh and Maskan on the 98th floor of one of the towers;

Sarah Khan, who worked for Cantor Fitzgerald on the 101st floor of the north tower, and resided in South Ozone Park, Queens, New York;

Rudy Bacchus, a 48-year-old stockbroker, who was attending an early morning Risk Water Conference at the Windows on World restaurant on the 107th floor in the north tower. He resided in Metuchen, New Jersey;

Amarnauth Lutchman, who lived in Long Island and worked at the World Trade Center complex;

Vernon Asregado, who worked on the 107th floor in one of the towers. Asregado is believed to have been a teacher for some years at Mahaicony and formerly resided at Novar, Mahaicony.