December 2, 2001

The number tumbles. First 6,700, then 5,000. Down, down, down, 4,500, 4,000, now 3,300.

The death toll in the World Trade Center attack keeps falling as officials refine their count. When they are finished, the toll will be much smaller than anyone anticipated, probably about 3,000, less than half the number that made headlines in the weeks following the attack.