Eyewitnesses Describe WTC Attacks in New York

NEW YORK, Sept. 11, 2001 — -- It was a scene of unspeakable horror — a surreal sequence of events that unfolded before the eyes of thousands in downtown New York this morning.

A hijacked passenger jet hit One World Trade Center, the northern tower of the landmark 110-story World Trade Center, at about 8:50 a.m. ET. A second commercial jet hit the tower's twin building about 10 minutes later.

Within an hour, the southern tower collapsed in a deafening roar, enveloping lower Manhattan in a 20-story-high wall of cloud of dust, ash and debris that billowed up Broadway and overtook thousands of people fleeing the melee. The northern tower collapsed several minutes later, engulfing the southern tip of the island of Manhattan in smoke, ash and rubble.

Police, firefighters and FBI agents ran alongside thousands of panicked workers, screaming for them to get as far as possible from the area. Police had feared the main sections of the destroyed buildings might fall north, crushing people; there was also concern about additional terrorist attacks in other parts of the financial district, TriBeCa, Soho and the South Street Seaport.

"I was looking at the smoke and saw a plane heading low over lower Manhattan," said 33-year-old Jennifer Tammi, a doctoral student who was taking an elevated subway to classes at Columbia University in upper Manhattan. "It banked and headed straight for the middle of the other tower. It looked like it flew right through the building."

As people began flowing out of the stricken buildings, the scene became increasingly chaotic, according to Katherine Fegan, who works at Salomon Smith Barney. "Many people were crushed people were going crazy, crying, and everyone was running," she said. "Five minutes later and I would have been in that building."

Injured people were spread in a wide area, including burn victims and survivors who lay on the sidewalks after collapsing from shock and exhaustion. Dust covered the shoes and clothing of thousands of dazed people stumbling north. Many people held their hands to their hearts and heads, mouths open.