Hundreds gather in KC to mourn victims

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Hundreds of mourners gathered at city hall in Kansas City on Wednesday to honor the victims of last week's terrorist attacks.

Mourners sang the national anthem and held a moment of silence in memory of those killed when terrorists flew commercial jets into the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon in Washington.

Hundreds are confirmed dead and thousands are still unaccounted for after the attacks last Tuesday.

Backed by American flags, Mayor Kay Barnes spoke of unity and urged Kansas Citians to continue their normal routines, to show that "we will not be demoralized."

"As a nation we must resist yielding to fear and blind hatred," she told the crowd. "We are obligated to be true to justice and freedom and to maintain our respect of law and dignity."

Kansas City's memorial was postponed twice. A bomb threat in city hall led officials to cancel the first ceremony, scheduled for last Thursday. This week, a subsequent service was canceled due to a conflict with the Jewish holiday Rosh Hashanah and in anticipation of rain.