USS Cole Attacked: Death Toll Rising; Navy Family Service Director Discusses Efforts to Ease Stress; British Embassy Bombing Not Being Linked
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: First, right now on the Arabian Peninsula where there has been another explosion, this one at the British embassy in Sana'a, the Yemeni capital, a six-hour drive north of Aden, where the USS Cole was attacked yesterday. CNN Carl Rochelle is at the Pentagon with those details and an update as well on the USS Cole attack -- Carl.</s>CARL ROCHELLE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Carol, the latest figures that we have from the U.S. Navy authorities on the death toll on that ship, the death toll has been raised to seven, the number of missing and presumed dead is now 10, and they have changed the status of the missing to missing and presumed dead and have informed the families. Thirty-five people were injured, 35 sailors were injured in that. I understand that three of them have been returned back to duty. They weren't severely injured, they were returned back to duty. And some of the most serious have been evacuated, medivacked to a French hospital in Jibuti (ph) for treatment there. So that is all going on. The sailors are hard at work trying to get the ship back in reasonably decent shape. We understand it is stable, the flooding is under control. There is still some seawater in it. There is still that 20-by-40-foot size hole in the side of it and a lot of damage inside, but they're moving forward on that. Meanwhile, investigators are trying to determine who was responsible for the attack. One very strong focus is on Osama bin Laden, the terrorist who has targeted the United States interests throughout the world. Not also being ruled out are Hezbollah, Hamas, and officials say especially the Egyptian Islamic Jihad organization. FBI agents moving into the area to try to help with what they can in trying to figure out who was responsible for the cause. One question, though: Why did the U.S. Navy go to that area that had once been considered to be a terrorist area? Well, the chief of naval operations talked about that this morning.</s>ADM. VERN CLARK, CHIEF OF NAVAL OPERATIONS: We don't live in a risk-free world. Those are the facts. We have friends throughout the world. We also have some people who don't like us, and that's all about the risks that we face. And our young men and women sign up to serve and go with us and represent the interests of the United States of America. And if we are going to influence events throughout the world, we have to be there.</s>ROCHELLE: And the Admiral says that those sailors are working hard this morning, doing the best they can to get that ship back in shape. I'm Carl Rochelle, CNN, reporting live from the Pentagon.</s>LIN: Thank you very much, Carl. Well, a world away in Norfolk, Virginia the Navy community is anxious. It is the home base of the USS Cole, and it has dealt with similar situations too many times before. But it is never easy. CNN's Mark Potter is outside the Navy base where families are waiting for more details of the attack's aftermath. Mark, is it hard for them to get news right now?</s>MARK POTTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: No, the news is getting out. They can call in. As more news comes in from Yemen, it's being disseminated. People can call in and find out what's going on. Notification, however, in the case of sailors who died or who are missing is being done in person. All efforts here at the Norfolk base are being concentrated now on the family members. This has been a very painful time, as you can imagine, for the family members, and for the base personnel who have been trying to inform them and to console them. A number of support services are being offered. I want to bring in a guest who has agreed to join us on a very busy morning and a troubling morning here for her. Catherine Stokoe is the director of the Navy Family Services Center. And Catherine, you have been extremely busy. This has been a very difficult time on the base. Tell me where we stand now. How are the families doing in terms of notification, and what's being done to support them?</s>CATHERINE STOKOE, DIRECTOR, NAVY FAMILY SERVICE CTR.: Well, not all of the notifications are complete, but the leadership in the Hampton Roads (ph) area has set up a site on the base for the families to gather so that they can be together. And they are getting briefings. Yesterday, there were three briefings, and today there will be one at noon for the family members who want to hear what the latest is from the leadership.</s>POTTER: And what sort of services are there in terms of counseling, religious counseling and all of that?</s>STOKOE: We have social workers and there are chaplains available. We are holding support groups for both the adults and the children to help normalize some of the feelings. This is a very traumatic event and very challenging for the families. And everybody handles stress a little bit differently, so we're trying to provide the support to be here if they need us; also to provide information and referral. We don't always have the answers, but we try to hook people up with the right numbers.</s>POTTER: OK, and lastly, there was some bit of delay yesterday in getting information to the families, making it an even more painful time. What explained that delay?</s>STOKOE: Well, the services, whenever there's a death, always have to be very, very careful that the identification is complete. It would be very unfair to ever make a mistake in that area. So that takes time. And unfortunately, delays like that make it even more stressful and difficult for the families.</s>POTTER: All right, well, thank you for your time, and we wish you good luck today.</s>STOKOE: OK, thank you.</s>POTTER: Thank you. Appreciate it. And, Carol, that's the situation here at Norfolk. Efforts are being made to help the families. The community has rallied as well. This is a tough time for all, but this is a military town and the community has come to the assistance of this military base. Carol, back to you.</s>LIN: That's why they call it the Navy family. Thanks so much, Mark. Well, we now go back to the Middle East and the investigation into now two suspected terrorist attacks on Western interests. We have been reporting on the USS Cole, but this morning there was an explosion at the British embassy in the capital city of Yemen. We have CNN's Matthew Chance now on the telephone with an update on both stories. But, Matthew, can you tell us first what happened exactly at the British Embassy ?</s>MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Thanks, Carol. Yes, you're right, there are two stories in the country today. And there was this incident in the north of the country, north of where I am now, the capital of Yemen, Sana'a, where British officials were reporting earlier an explosion inside their embassy compound. And now, there were no reports of casualties, there have been no reports of casualties at this stage. But like the U.S. and on the attack on its ship here in Yemen, British officials at this stage are not ruling out, they say, this being a terrorist attack -- Carol.</s>LIN: Matthew, are they linking the two explosions directly?</s>CHANCE: Not directly, no, but both countries have launched their individual investigations into what's at the root of these problems, who's responsible, what's responsible for the devastation, in the United States case the very heavy casualties. And so they're not being linked directly, but I'm sure that both countries are likely to share what intelligence they have when it comes to combating a comment threat.</s>LIN: How much damage was there to the building?</s>CHANCE: Well, that -- in Sana'a it's difficult to say. I'm not there at this moment. I'm some distance south of there. But from the reports that we've been getting from British officials there, the explosion was very strong indeed. It shook the entire neighborhood, according to one British embassy spokesman in the city. Robin Cook, the British foreign minister, said after hearing about the explosion, that it appeared to him that someone had literally thrown a bomb over the wall into the embassy compound. So it was quite a significant explosion and quite a remarkable surprise, really, that no one was, in fact, injured -- Carol.</s>LIN: And remarkable now that you are in the position of covering both major stories. You are at the port of Aden. What is the situation with the USS Cole?</s>CHANCE: Well, the USS Cole is anchored a short distance from where I am now in the port, which the hotel I'm in overlooks. You can't see it from where I'm standing right now, but I went to have a look at it earlier today and it doesn't look in a very good state. It's listing to one side, leaning to one side quite heavily. Around the other side, there's a gaping hole in the one side, in part, some 40 feet across that was ripped into it by this explosive boat that approached it. According to eyewitnesses, we've learned, of course, that the two people who were apparently spotted in the small boat that was packed with explosives. They were reported to have stood to attention before the boat actually detonated. Officially here on the ground now, I have to say, at least we're being told, that it's not yet been determined that this was a deliberate act, but there is an ongoing investigation, like with the British case further north, into what is the cause of it -- Carol.</s>LIN: All right, thank you very much, Matthew Chance for reporting live from the Port of Aden.