NEW YORK (AP) — The number of confirmed dead at the World Trade Center rose again Monday as the mayor said the city would help families apply for death certificates before their loved ones are found.

With 6,453 people listed as missing or dead, Giuliani said the number of confirmed dead had risen by 15 people to 276.

The mayor said that lawyers at a center in Manhattan will provide free assistance by Wednesday in preparing paperwork for families to have loved ones declared legally dead.

"The family center will be organized so that it can do that for large numbers of people," he said.

State officials are considering a plan to speed up the issuance of death certificates for trade center victims. A certificate is needed to make insurance claims, disburse estates, gain access to bank accounts and even start the burial process.

Currently, to prevent fraud, families now have to wait up to three years for a death certificate if a person is missing and presumed dead.

The action being considered by state officials could reduce the process to a matter of days by eliminating the waiting period. Officials say it is not clear whether an executive order, legislation or change in regulations is required or when it will take place.

Meanwhile, search crews kept up their nonstop search for victims and the flight recorders from the two hijacked airliners. Rescue workers have not found a survivor since the day after the attacks.

"It's still a nightmare down there," Chris Durso, 23, said as he laid telephone lines. "It's definitely worse in person than on TV."

Search crews Sunday found a major part of one of the planes that hit the towers Sept. 11. A 10-foot piece of fuselage was loaded onto a golf cart and taken away by federal investigators.

The possibility that Giuliani, who is barred by term limits from seeking a third term this fall, may try to extend his stay in office was cheered by some of the weary searchers.

"He should just stay for another term, period," said Del Mossobir, 26, a volunteer from Queens. "He knows how to handle situations very well."

The mayor said Monday that he hasn't decided on his political future.

The work went on as Wall Street employees and others arrived at work in the financial district. Lawyer Jonathan Rapport arrived from Staten Island in a pair of shorts. His office is without air conditioning.

"Well, you gotta get on, right?" said Rapport, 28.

The mayor said he confident the city's economy is recovering.

"It's not going to happen by magic, and it's not gonna happen all at once," he said. Still, he said, several Broadway shows saw increased attendance over the weekend and commuter service around the city was largely back to normal.

More residents of lower Manhattan were allowed to return home Sunday and relief agencies encouraged them to ask for government help. More than 8,000 people have applied for aid, said Mike Byrne of the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Hunter Carter lives in one of the apartment buildings in Battery Park City that is still closed due to a lack of electricity. He said he used to adore his apartment, the view of Ellis Island and walking along the Hudson River.

But now there are police officers and military personnel everywhere, and he wants to break his lease and move to a new place.

"This is nothing like the neighborhood I loved," Carter said. "It is just so sad around here."