Ananova :

Oracle has revealed a slight rise in first quarter profits as the company mourns for eight employees missing in the US terrorist attacks.

The group released its results without comment and has rescheduled its analysts' meeting for Monday.

The third-largest software maker in the US has been hurt this year as internet companies disappear and corporations slash spending.

Oracle has struggled to win customers for a new suite of web-based business software.

Profit rose 2% to £346.9 million, or 9 cents a share, from £340 million, or 8 cents, a year earlier. Sales fell to £1.52 billion from £1.53 billion.

Chief executive Larry Ellison said: "Our heart goes out to all of the families who have lost loved ones. We pray more survivors will be found.

"Our people, computers and facilities are being retasked to help these agencies re-establish systems that have been interrupted by the attack."

Six Oracle consultants who worked on the 97th floor of the World Trade Centre's south tower are missing, the company said.

Sales manager Todd Beamer was on board United Airlines Flight 93, which crashed in Pennsylvania.

Another Oracle employee, whose name was also not released, was trained as an emergency medical technician and was near the World Trade Centre when the first airplane hit the towers, the company said. He ran into the building, Oracle said, and has not been heard from since the attack.

Oracle declined to disclose the names of the missing consultants, but said that two were from the US, three were from India, and one was from the United Kingdom.

Story filed: 09:44 Friday 14th September 2001

• US Terror Attacks
• Software & Computer Services
• Technology
• Oracle Corporation
• US

• Oracle
• US terror attacks

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