Thousands of New Yorkers on foot started drifting north in stupor.

Liliana Davalos, NYC, USA

The radio transmission of National Public Radio died and I unwittingly switched to the music station. A woman announced a plane had crashed into the WTC and then played a song. That didn't register in my head at all (was it some belated April fool's?) as I biked south on Broadway. At the office all the staff was desperately trying to tune the radio: someone mumbled something about two planes, the WTC, and the Pentagon. You gotta be kidding! Still in absolute disbelief I logged on until a colleague said "come to the roof, we can see the smoke from here." Indeed, south of Central Park a cloud of black then grey then white smoke rose covering all lower Manhattan... We were all in tears. Thousands of New Yorkers on foot started drifting north in stupor. After that we could only raise our eyes to watch the F16s fly. Up at Columbia University the only sign of distress were the queues at the supermarkets and an unsettling silence that lasts even today.
Liliana Davalos, NYC, USA

I just got in from London late Monday night on UA 979 after completing my studies at City University Business School. I was planning on leaving for Nashville on Wednesday to help a friend with a business plan. In preparation for my trip I decided to get an early start shopping in Lower Manhattan.
I arrived immediately after the first plane crashed and was shocked at what I saw when I got off the train. People were crying for Jesus or just crying. When I got on the street everyone and I mean everyone was looking up at the twin towers. It was like a shock or disbelief. Then I say what everyone was crying about. I saw one tower on fire and witnessed two people jumping before becoming sick and tried to get to a phone. Once I got someone to tell me what happened I knew it was a terrorist attack. I spent 7 years in the Air Force and found it hard to believe that a plane could crash into the WTC in perfect weather.
As I was running to a phone to call my mother to tell her to stay home because she works in the Financial Center across the street from the WTC the second plane had struck. All the people who were in the street immediately started to run towards uptown and the South Seaport area of Lower Manhattan. After calling my mother I sprinted to the number 4 train station at City Hall and took the first train out of Manhattan. The other passengers and I on the train were able to see the WTC on fire when the second train I transferred to had gotten above ground. Upon getting back to last stop of the train I learned from a cab driver that the WTC had collapsed as well as the Pentagon was attacked.
Larry McKenzie, Brooklyn, NY USA

I was approaching West Street at 08:45 and was a lump of jelly with the first blast. It was just too terrible what followed too terrible.
Gizelle, Bkln, NY

I thought it was the end of the world.

Tom Tromans, Telford, Shropshire

I was in Manhattan when this tragedy occurred. It was surreal, as in a dream. I thought it was the end of the world. I felt my heart reaching out to those poor souls whose only option was to literally jump from the windows of the World Trade Center. I felt physically sick when I saw this and sheilded my eyes from the sight. It was terrible.
Tom Tromans, Telford, Shropshire

After the morning's events yesterday I thought I had almost seen it all. I was in a windowless sealed server room lab at the core of the 8th floor, and in all the din of the machines all I felt were a couple judders. No fire alarms, no alarms of any kind (6 months ago there had been a fire on the escalators and no alarms then either). Since construction was going on and large bangs were common and I worked on. When I stepped out, the floor was empty (it was by now somewhere after 9am). I went to the lifts and they were not working, my heart started to race as I found the fire escape... it was filled with smoke and panicked people still trying to get out. Joining them we eventually made it into the atrium and onto the street outside.
Already the scene was of carnage, with debris flying down around us and bloodied bodies being taken away.
I got to the church cemetery across the street before I turned to see both towers on fire and people jumping (for their lives) from the upper floors. Minutes later Tower 1 crumbled in front of us like some movie where the feeling became so bizarre that you expected a producer to turn up and yell "cut".
Then a white cloud started to grow, at first like an avalanche, and then like a solid wall that would engulf you. I ran east past the park and did not stop until I reached town hall. There was a park bench so I sat with others trying to understand what had gone on.
The MTA officials had told us there was a third plane overhead, a police van had gone past at one point playing a loop tape of a message "you are all going to die, run now".
People were coming out of the asbestos dust and smoke clouds a single shade of grey. Some washed in the fountains in front of me.
As I took stock I realized I had left the buildings with only my latch key and WTC security passes. I did not even have money for the phone.
Within the hour the second tower disappeared.
Ricahrd Prescott Stearns, New York

My colleagues and I watched in utter disbelief as each of the massive towers collapsed

Pierre Gentin, New York, NY

When I got to work yesterday, I could see the two gaping holes in the twin towers and the black smoke billowing into the air. My colleagues and I watched in utter disbelief as each of the massive towers collapsed. When I went into the street, I heard a number of people express a sense of kinship with Israelis who have been victims of this kind of terrorism for decades.
Pierre Gentin, New York, NY

This is my niece Nora's story - Her normal stop on the subway is the World Trade Center. When she came up to street level there was a group of people stopped still at the top of the stairs staring straight up at the first tower explosion. As she came out the second plane hit.
While this was happening her boyfriend Ted came out of the subway at Battery Park somewhat south of the Trade Center to find an airplane tire blocking his path. He dropped his bags and ran back uptown to the MS foundation and Nora's office - not finding her there he returned to the street and was waiting outside when Nora arrived having walked from the Trade Center.
They went up to her office and watched the Trade Center burn thru her windows. She turned away for maybe eight seconds and when she looked again the first tower was gone and then watched as the second tower fell.
She says the walk from the Subway to her office was stunned bewilderment - but not panic. After the towers fell she and Ted decided to go home and they came out into another world, one of panic and chaos - people running and screaming covered with a thick layer of dust, and debris falling everywhere.
Thank God she survived. I pray for those families whose relatives did not. We were very fortunate not to have lost her.
Stephen Packard, Evanston, IL

I live in Crystal City (Arlington)Virginia, right next to the Pentagon and drive to school in Washington DC. I had an early morning class yesterday and when I came out of it, there was something wrong. A hushed and nervous bustle on campus and a friend's phone call confirmed to me that the World Trade Center had been hit. I ran to his apartment near campus and watched in horror live on television as the Twin Towers started collapsing. Also on a split screen there was the Pentagon badly damaged and in flames with thick smoke oozing out of it over the DC skyline. For the rest of the day I was literally locked in Washington DC and couldn't go home. When I went home at around 10:30 pm there were military Hummers and armed police on every intersection in downtown DC. The thought of Washington DC being the safest place on earth was shattered by the events of the day.
Sodo, Arlington, VA

It was only the screams and rush of people around me that made me start running to get as far away from the buildings as possible

Raj Malalgoda, New York, USA

I was working on the 5th floor of the second WTC building when the first plane hit. All we heard was a loud bang followed by a slight tremble of the building. I walked over to the window to see what was happening and all I could see in the reflection of the Millenium Hilton was glass falling and people running.

It was then that we saw the second airliner flying in and crash into what was, minutes earlier, our office building. I cannot explain the sheer terror that held me frozen at that time. It was only the screams and rush of people around me that made me start running to get as far away from the buildings as possible.

Even then, we were not safe. As we made our way from downtown, we again heard the screams of people behind us. Looking back we saw a cloud of smoke just unfurl through all the streets of lower Manhattan as the first building collapsed. We continued on our way in a state of disbelief and for some reason, we looked back minutes later at the skyline of Manhattan which looked so incredibly different with just one WTC building standing. It was then that we saw the second WTC building shake slightly before just disintegrating before our eyes.

This morning, on the way to work, New York felt a very different city. This city is built on an air of confidence, bravado almost, but that air seemed to have disappeared. New York and it's people seem to have awaken to the fact that they are just as fallible as everyone else.

I am thankful that my wife, my friends and colleagues and I are safe today, but my heart goes out to all those people who have lost someone they know as a result of this atrocity.
Raj Malalgoda, New York, USA

The streets were filled with crying and shocked people. I have never see anything like it and it was like a sick scene out of a movie

M Elskamp, New York, USA

I work on Houston and Broadway. At around 8.40 am I heard a low flying plane, then someone shouting 'Oh my God, that plane is out of control!', then a huge explosion and smoke. We ran to the back where we have a clear view of the WTC and saw a gaping hole, then another explosion and a huge fireball. Someone was saying this is a terrorist attack. When the first tower collapsed everybody was getting hysterical. Then we left and walked uptown. The streets were filled with crying and shocked people. I have never see anything like it and it was like a sick scene out of a movie. I am still in shock now and my heart goes out to all who have lost loved ones in this terrible disaster.
M Elskamp, New York, USA

I was working at my office on 16th street, and a co-worker walked in and said the WTC was on fire. I thought it was just a minor floor fire, but she insisted I go out and see it. From 17th and Sixth Ave. I could the gaping hole in the side of the building. We still did not know if the plane crashed intentionally or not, and someone in the crowd speculate about the 1946 crash of an army plane into the empire state - an accident.

Then, low in the sky, I saw a plane coming, it had two engines on either side of the tail, and even from our vantage the plane looked large. I couldn't believe what I was seeing - I thought for a moment it was a news or rescue plane, silly as that sounds.

Then it hit, on the south side (I was looking from the north) and a ball of flames twenty stories high went up. It looked like a "movie" but most everyone in the crowd was aware how many people worked there and a sickening feeling came to my stomach.

An icon of our city vanished before my eyes- it would be like watching the houses of parliament or big ben collapse, except there were 10,000 people trapped in them.

This morning, there is still a dust cloud over downtown - last night at sunset, it looked like any other cloud, the quietness in the city this morning was absolutely eerie.
M. Armstead, New York, NY

It was the most tragic and traumatic event I ever survived

Angeles Novillo, New York, NY USA

It was the most tragic and traumatic event I ever survived. I walked out of my office yesterday located at 5th Avenue at 42nd Street at 9.35AM shocked by the events, and walked across the street, where a lot of people were gathering. I had the chance of looking at the second tower falling down, from the spot we had between sky cappers. There was a big gasping within us when it happened, but no one said anything. Terribly shocking...

I walked home and I had to cross Times Square to get there. Literally thousands of people were standing still, watching the big screens located there, loaded of news and images. And there was a sense of unreality, surrealism. It was but then it wasn't happening. You were an extra on a Stephen Spielberg movie rolling in Manhattan.

People fighting with their cellulars to be able to reach a loved one, some were under a nervous breakdown right in the middle of 7th Avenue, on the ground, a guy walking by my side hitting his head against the walls...

Everyone was crying, EVERYONE, even tourists whom you could tell they were not even understanding the words, they were just shocked by the images.

A Universal Mourning Day should have to be today.
Angeles Novillo, New York, NY USA

I live in Brooklyn NY., but work in Manhattan. Yesterday my boss let me have a day off, because of her family event (funeral). I feel it's been some kind of FAITH that I didn't go to Manhattan in the morning - God knows what could have happened to me. I looked out my window as soon as I heard on TV, what going on. The only thing I could see was a cloud of smoke on a clear sky - I come from Poland so to me it looked like..the smoke from concentration camp during WWII. I was shaking and absolutely panicked. I found a lot of burned pieces of documents on the street - and I thought of the people who were once holding those papers. Right now I'm afraid what is going to happen next. I feel like we are not being fully informed about the situation - what'going on with the hijacked planes - are the 3 of them still missing? We heard of 8 planes in total that were hijacked. I know that right now I can't go back to my country because borders are being closed. I'm really afraid.
M.K., Brooklyn NY , USA

By the time I went to uni this morning, I knew only this: that the NY office of Aon Reinsurance - for which my Dad works here in Australia - and several other of its business arms, was somewhere around the 100th floor of one of the two World Trade Centre Towers. Not knowing which, it was fairly certain that everyone had been killed, as that was around the level where both towers were hit by the hijacked planes. There is good news however. When I got home at 1pm I found out the following: At opening in Sydney today, there was only a message from the head office in the US saying that of the 1100 Aon employees situated on the 88th - 103rd floors of World Trade Centre's B Tower, only 150 had so far been accounted for. As you can imagine, the description of the atmosphere in the office (my dad's off work this week doing some redecorating), was that it was rather like a morgue...
Elizabeth Elwell, Sydney, Australia

All of downtown looks like a Third World Country covered with dirty snow. Apparently all of the cases that are coming to the hospital are all or nothing - scrapes or trauma. They have closed down First Avenue so the ambulances can have easy access to the ER. I know I am not in the safest city to be in right now, but I am counting my blessings because it just as easily could have been me. For the rest of you please be careful, but do not let this attack make you live in fear. That is what they want and I'll be damned if I am gonna let them have any control over me whatsoever.
Ricki, NYU Medical Centre, New York

He knew he was not going to get out

Richard G, Wajda New York

There are no words for today's events. But God was with me. I was late getting up this morning and I was late getting my friend's baby to work. If I had been on time I would have been killed.

A friend of mine was at work on Long Island. A woman who works with him got a call from her husband who works on the top floor of one of the twin towers. He called to say good-bye. He knew he was not going to get out. The woman lost it.

My friend from Fountain Hills, Arizona called. She had two cousins on the 102nd floor. They made it out. My entire office made it out. Michele from my office was down getting coffee and saw the second plane hit the building. She ran to the nearest exit and got on the ferry to New Jersey. She made it out safe.

I made it home safe. I was hit with debris but nothing too serious. I fell and was trampled. My legs are cut up, my back is in severe pain and my feet are ripped up. But I am home and safe.
Richard G. Wajda, New York

Thousands of civilians died here in NYC and thousands more are injured. One of the missing is my cousin, maybe dead and buried in the rubble of one of the towers. I do not want diplomacy, I don't want to talk, I do not care about making friends. Find those responsible and torture them in them in the cruellest way.
Bill Tompkins, NY, USA

A few images I recall: shoes on the streets, lost in the rush; people huddled around vans and cars listening to the radio and fighter jets flying over Manhattan.
Steve Curley, New York, USA

My partner Calum Forrest works for an investment bank. I am currently job hunting. I worked as a lawyer in the UK and have recently taken the New York Bar exam to qualify as an attorney here.

It has been a long and exhausting day mostly spent responding to calls from UK friends and family and checking that my NY friends are all OK. After both towers collapsed, there was a great wave of people that I could see heading north on both 4th Ave and Broadway. Many were stunned and sitting on the pavements around Union Square (14th St).

Union Square is normally extremely busy with many people, tourists and many 24 hour shops. Almost all the shops are shut. The banks were closed all day. Now the streets are dark and quiet. The view of the skyline from my apartment has totally changed. The whole of the financial district is dark and there is just darkness where the two huge towers that dominated my view used to be. As I am new to New York, I had not yet tired of the view and only last night was admiring it and thinking how wonderful it was.

I cannot bear to think of the people that jumped or contemplated jumping before the towers collapsed. It is all still too much to take in. I keep looking out of the window almost hoping that the towers will reappear. The whole day has had a dreamlike quality to it and my thoughts are with the familys whose loved ones are not coming home.
Yvonne Burton, USA

Thousands of people stood in disbelief as they saw the pinnacle of American Capitalism burn before their eyes

Alex Byrne, Leeds

I was working construction 1 block away when I heard the first blast. I thought it was a gas explosion or something less sinister. I ran out down Fulton street to see the commotion and could only see a million pieces of paper floating aimlessly.

Like the naive onlooker I ran closer to see what I thought was an horrific accident as I saw one of the trade centre buildings burning from the upper floors. Thousands of people stood in disbelief as they saw the pinnacle of American Capitalism burn before their eyes.

It was not till I saw more than 6 people jump to their deaths that I knew this was no picture to photograph or to remember.

Then I heard a second explosion and the sound and heat was fierce. People looked in awe, which soon turned to panic as the glass and debris rained down. People hiding in doorways or under vehicles, but I just ran amidst the blood stained streets and the chaos.

What was unbelievable was that people still stayed to behold the spectacle. Me and my friend jumped on the No. 6 train uptown which probably saved our lives.

This is a true account from an honest Leeds lad that would be happy to be back on home soil. God bless to those that perished,
Alex Byrne, Leeds

I am British and live in New York. I was working in Midtown Manhattan , at 30 Rockefeller Plaza, when the hijacked planes hit the WTC at 8.42 this morning. We evacuated from my work building a couple of hours later. I looked down the street and witnessed the financial hub of America collapse like house of cards.

It was a horrific incident, it is cliché but it was truly like something out of "Independence Day". Everyone was in shock! It was either hysterically noisy in Manhattan or this quiet surreal atmosphere. I got on a train to Long Island around 5 pm and 4 guys who worked in the World Trade Center were travelling with me. One had gone for breakfast at 8.30am, 12 minutes before this first plane crashed, the other had decided to come into work late. He used to reside on the 77th floor and believed his whole office staff are dead. People I know work in the building, the hope is they are finding victims out of the thousands trapped, who are alive. I pray for their families.
Moe, Manhattan, USA

I work a block from the World Trade Centre. When I exited off the train about 8:55 AM I saw chaos in the street with crowds of people across from where I come out from the under ground. I looked up and saw black smoke with paper in the sky. I crossed and asked a pedestrian what happened. They replied a plane crashed into one of the towers. As I proceeded south to my place of work I saw flames from the north tower. As I walked further south I saw the hole in the north side of the tower where the plane hit. At first I believed it was an accident I went into my building and when I reached my floor of work there was another explosion. I had no idea that another plane hit the other tower.

Eventually the building was evacuated and I travelled 3 blocks from the towers. On my travels there was debris a block away and an engine from the plane was on the corner. A person was on the side of the road cut from debris and being attended to. On the following corner about 3 or 4 blocks from the World Trade Centre I saw a person jump from just below the fire line on the north tower. I then waited in line to make a phone call, but the lines were jammed I tried several times and made it through.

After the phone call I went back to the corner when the south tower collapsed. It sounded like an earthquake rumble (NOT an explosion as reported by the media) as I and other people ran to get away from the smoke and ash that travelled from the collapse. I made it about 15 to 20 blocks away as the second tower collapsed. I asked police officers If I could get across the bridge the response was, "All bridges are closed you must travel North" Eventually I travelled across a bridge and made it to my final destination around 2:30 in the afternoon.

I am very horrified and distraught on what happened. I must praise all the New York citizens for pulling together and helping each other out in this crisis and I pray for all of the people that lost their lives.
Paul Davey, Queens, USA

"If you have a strong arm you can throw a baseball over the world trade center"

Dan Greenwald, New York, USA

I had to head north to get closer, and at Pace university, which is a few blocks south of city hall and a few blocks east, I ran into a bunch of volunteers. We were issued gloves and better face masks. We were working with the NYC sheriffs dept. This is around 4.30 I think. A little after 5 the cop we were dealing with told us that we'd be going in to start pulling dead bodies (and body parts) out of the rubble. This drove away a few of the volunteers, and left us with about 15. As we started to move further west up the block we were on, a lot of firemen came streaming out of the top of the block from the south screaming run. Then we heard a loud rumble and started running east down the block (we had been standing in the middle of the block). Before the firemen even reached us, a thick cloud of dust rolled over us and it was like a heavy snowfall. We stayed there another 10 - 15 minutes. And then we moved with the cops up the block west to city hall and stayed in front of the sheriffs building which is at 31 chambers I think... a bit north-west of where we were before. We stayed there from a little before 6 to a little after 8. Just hanging out with cops and eating all the food that came by for us. We stood there for quite a while with our gloves and goggles and masks waiting to go in. One cop said he could see through to the other side when the wind was strong enough to blow the smoke over. His exact phrase was "if you have a strong arm you can throw a baseball over the world trade center".
Dan Greenwald, New York, USA

I was on a subway that got into WTC at 9am, down in the WTC concourse nobody really knew what was going on upstairs but then gates went down between the concourse and the main shopping area and we were locked in so we all had to exit wherever we could and when we got outside the 2nd plane crashed right over our heads with debris falling everywhere...it was chaos...I started running and luckily didn't get hurt...
S. Sheerin, Manhasset, NY

I was driving west on the Long Island Expressway toward Manhattan. By Flushing, I could see both towers burning off in the distance. Twenty minutes later, I pulled over by Maurice Avenue and walked onto a footbridge over the Expressway, where I had a clear view of the entire Manhattan skyline. I could see only one tower standing at this point, surrounded by an immense cloud of black smoke. I've never seen anything like this. It's a sight I'll never forget.

Hours later, while walking through downtown Brooklyn, I picked up a charred piece of paper lying on the sidewalk. It appeared to have the markings of an insurance company. Then I realised it had blown in from what was the World Trade Center, about three miles away.
Bill K, New York, NY

I was just leaving my apartment when my neighbour stopped me and said "Have you heard about the WTC? It's been hit by a plane. You can watch it from the roof". I went upstairs and I saw that surreal image: a hole spanning for five floors in the centre top of Tower 1, and a huge cloud of black smoke. I live in the East Village, and the view from there was perfect. I went back to get my camera. When I was back in the roof I saw just before my eyes the explosion on Tower 2. I didn't see the plane, nor did any of the other guys on the roof. We speculated for a few minutes. The only thing we could imagine was on of the wings of the first plane hitting the other tower and provoking the explosion, but that was very unlikely. Finally one of the people on the roof said: "The radio is saying that there was a second plane." We suddenly got scared, and I could see tears on the eyes of my neighbour: his friend worked at the WTC. You can see original footage at http://www.cruzate.org/nyhell/
Victor Cruzate, New York, NY

People were jumping from the top floors, smoke was billowing into the air

Olga Slobodov, New York, USA

I was going to work in lower Manhattan via the subway when the conductor yelled "Stop, fire!" There was absolute chaos as people ran for the exits. At the top of the stairs people were milling about seeming uncertain of whether to go outside or not. I peeked out and saw a huge hole in the side of Tower 1.

Debris and ashes were falling everywhere as well as burning pieces of rubble. I got out of the station and ran, praying the debris wouldn't hit me. I got far enough away to stop and look back at the burning building. It was a horrific site. People were jumping from the top floors, smoke was billowing into the air....it was like something Hollywood would produce...it was unreal. And then another plane thundered above the city, turned abruptly and collided with Tower 2. The amount of debris and smoke and fire generated by that explosion were unbelievable. People were running for their lives.

About 40 minutes later, standing by the Brooklyn Bridge, I felt the crowd surge toward the bridge screaming, "Dear God, it's falling down!". Smoke and ashes just enveloped the bridge completely and it was hard to see two feet in front of you. When I got into Brooklyn and looked back, the second tower had already fallen down and there was just such an emptiness in Manhattan and such panic, it was nerveracking. There was a massive evacuation of the city and as far as the eye could see, masses of people were making their way either uptown or out of the city by the bridges. Unfortunately, the actual devastation and aftermath to come, will be more terrible than this country has ever experienced.
Olga Slobodov, New York, NY, USA

I live in SoHo/Greenwich Village and have a clear view of the towers from my street. I walked out to the street about three minutes after the second plane hit. At that time, people hadn't really spilled out onto the streets, and those walking around were just frozen. Watching the buildings burn was incredibly surreal, and watching the towers collapse was haunting.

I made the long walk to a news organisation where I work in midtown: on the way the images were very odd and frightening: long lines at pay phones, ashen businessmen calling wives, crowds gathering at churches, hundreds of doctors waiting outside the hospitals, ambulances covered in plaster rushing uptown, people explaining their near misses to strangers.

Watching the buildings burn was incredibly surreal, and watching the towers collapse was haunting

James Morris, New York, USA

The mood at work was obviously quite insane but professional. Everyone seemed aware that this was going to be a long and painful ordeal. I poured through Reuters images, designing graphics for broadcast. Tonight, the Village is lined with earth moving equipment, waiting their turn to head into the site. A few dazed tourists and those seeking the community of their neighbours gather in the few open bars.

The chaos as the towers burned was terrible... with reports filtering in of attacks in other locations around the city. There was no sense of when it would stop and when we could begin to get our heads around the events. Already though, you can sense a great resolve to heal this city. People are still in shock, but New Yorkers are very proud of their city.
James Morris, New York, USA

I am a British citizen and have lived in the Washington DC area for almost five years. My apartment is about half a mile from the Pentagon. Today, many of us in this area have walked around in a complete daze, unable to focus on anything other than the compelling news broadcasts, and checking up on friends and work colleagues. In this building, we have regularly walked up to the 17th floor roof area to gaze disbelievingly over at the shattered west side of the Pentagon - up until now the most potent - and seemingly impregnable - symbol of US military power. It will be so again, but right now it is a grievously wounded symbol.

The fire has burnt all day and the smell in the air even late at night is overwhelming and unbelievably oppressive. There is a gaping hole about midway along the west side of the building and the helipad adjacent to this area is still full of emergency vehicles and staff, over 12 hours after this act of sheer evil. It is now almost 11.30 pm and we are just getting news that at least 800 people have been killed or injured in the Pentagon.

I can't settle to sleep. I feel totally helpless and futile. Some of us have answered the national call for blood supplies today, but giving a pint of blood doesn't really make one feel any more useful, effective or calm. My heart grieves for all my American friends and colleagues - and for unknown neighbours in this building, some of whom may not have made it home tonight, or ever will. Many Pentagon workers live in this apartment complex. I dread to think about the final consequence here.

We awoke this morning to one of those beautiful late summer days in the Washington DC area. These are days much appreciated and savoured as the sweltering heat of summer subsides. It really felt at 8.00 a.m. like one of those "good to be alive" mornings. What a total irony. I didn't turn on the TV or radio as I prepared to go to work. So once I headed out of the building, I still hadn't heard about ! New York. As I walked out to the front concourse, I heard a plane screaming overhead at what seemed like full throttle, very low. Then came the impact which shuddered the whole building. I immediately thought "air crash". Ten minutes later I found out that something truly evil has threatened America today.
Phillipa Rees, Arlington, Virginia

I'm an English engineer working and living in Greenwich Village, Manhattan. At 8.45am I heard what sounded like an incredibly loud motorcycle roaring past my apartment. There wasn't the jet noise you'd usually expect.

There was enough noise to make me look out of my apartment window to see what was going on. Looking directly south I could clearly see a huge dark 'hole' about three quarters of the way up WTC1. There was some smoke but not a great deal at that time. I grabbed my camcorder and starting filming out of the window. Five minutes later I was on the roof filming and taking pictures as fast as I could. Then came the explosion in WTC2.

I was speaking with UK relatives by phone when WTC2 collapsed. I just kept filming as best as I could. The film's probably useless because I was shaking so much.

People walking outside were like they weren't even aware what was happening. There weren't crowds of bystanders just tourists being very typical tourists. Made me think I was dreaming the whole thing up.

WTC1 (the one with the large antenna) collapsed while I was taking stills. I could see an F16 jet high above downtown Manhattan.

It still hasn't sunk in what's happened. Where there were tall buildings there is now just sky. Downtown Manhattan will be out of action for many months to come I'm sure.
Simon Skelly, New York, NY

I was working in a congressional office in Washington D.C when someone came in and told us to switch on the television. We saw the crater in the building and then lots of sirens started in Washington and people started to panic about terrorism.

Then the second tower got hit and people were very panicky, especially as the phones went dead just after that. We first heard there was a fire at the Pentagon and then there was a really low flying aircraft outside our window that nearly knocked out all the glass. It seemed to be heading straight for congress.

There was a really low flying aircraft outside our window that nearly knocked out all the glass. It seemed to be heading straight for congress

Harriet Anderson, Sheffield, England, but working in Washington D.C.

Congress was evacuated but we weren't for a very long time, after it emerged that it was a plane that hit the Pentagon. A security guard came running in and told us we should have evacuated ages ago as most of the other buildings had all gone. Smoke was coming towards us by the time we got outside, and someone said it was a bomb on the mall and then others that it was the state department.

We headed for the nearest Metro station which was chaotic and we couldn't even get off the trains at all the stations. I ended up just riding the subway for about an hour, and every time the trains came above ground people rushed towards the back of the carriages to see what they could see. There was lots of smoke from the Pentagon, and people said the Lincoln memorial was threatened and the state department was blown up.

People were crying on the trains who had been nearer where it had happened and everyone was frantically trying to get a mobile signal to call home. There were apparently fights over payphones and very few were working anyway.
Harriet Anderson, Sheffield, England, but working in Washington D.C.

I was riding my BMX outside 1WTC (the first to get hit, when the first plane hit. I looked up and saw a huge fireball and some falling debris. I was lucky I had my bmx, I rode a good 3 or 4 blocks before I looked back to see the horror and people were just starting to evacuate the building.
Josh J Roberts, NYC

I live close to the World Trade Center. I usually wake up late but I was awakened by a friend who came buzzing at my apartment at around 10 AM. She works at a building next to the WTC. I let her in and she said in a scared tone of voice that the WTC towers had been completely destroyed. I was completely shocked and was worried about the other people I knew who could be in danger. Two more friends arrived luckily safe and sound. One of them lost her shoes during a stampede. She said that many were trampled, including a child that she was about to help but was pushed away further by the panicking crowd. She walked without shoes and her feet were badly hurt.
Andrew, New York, USA

I actually screamed and then began to cry as the reality of what had happened sank in

Paul Coleridge, USA

I have spent most of the day in a daze. My father works a block from the White House, right on the National Mall. He was there today and was evacuated, and then rushed away in a bomb threat. My sister lives in Washington DC and her school was shut down. My mother works on a nearby Navy Base, where they quickly went to the highest level of security, and she is still stuck there, unable to get home. It is very hard to see the pictures on TV, and know that your family is out there and they are all so vulnerable. Everything is quiet now, and the streets are empty. We are all just sitting at home, worried, trying to make sense of senselessness.
Elizabeth Nourse, USA

I was at my desk when I looked up and saw the air filled with paper, then the smoke from WTC, then the flames. My colleagues and I looked on helplessly from our building, wondering how the people could escape. We were on the 39th floor of a building about half a mile away. At that stage no one knew whether it was an accident or not although there was talk about the WTC being hit by an aircraft. As we were powerless to help, I returned to my desk after about 15 minutes. The moment I sat down a large aircraft flew past the window, banked sharply and ploughed into the second tower. I knew then that it was no accident and the financial district seemed under attack. I ran for the elevator and with another colleague escaped the area. It is difficult to take in the events of this morning.
Trevor , NY, USA

My PATH Train (a train like the subway), pulled in to the station underneath the World Trade Center at about 8:50 am, apparently a few minutes after the first plane hit. When we got off the train, there were no alarms or announcements, but there was a strong smell like a combination of smoke and exhaust fumes. The station was undergoing renovations, so I thought maybe there was a fire because of the construction. When I got up to the lower concourse, I heard a fire alarm and the smell of smoke was heavier so I figured I should get out of there as quickly as possible, even though most people were acting like nothing was wrong. You have to ride a very long escalator to get to the main concourse level, and people were just calmly riding the escalator, not even walking, like nothing was happening. When I reached the top of the escalator, I could see people running for the exits and there was visible smoke but it didn't seem like total panic. I turned to look towards where the entrance to one of the towers would be and all I could see was a wall of white smoke coming in towards the concourse. I heard one woman yell "a plane hit the world trade center!" and another woman yelled "they're bombing the world trade center!"
I headed for the exit and when I got outside it quickly became apparent how major the damage was. There was debris raining down everywhere. As people stepped outside, they turned to look up at the towers and said "oh my God" as they saw the flames and black smoke pouring out of the upper floors. People were running around trying to get away from the debris.
John, Jersey City, New Jersey, USA

All New Yorkers will probably know someone who has died today when the final count becomes known

Zandra Ellis, New York, USA

I left Boston this morning for a flight to Orange County (greater Los Angeles) on an American Airline flight with a stop in Chicago. Upon landing, we were held on the runway. Immediately, cell phones starting going off. Like a wave-- the news moved from the back of the plane to the front. I write this from a hotel in Chicago-- safe. I pray for those who have lost their lives. I share the comments of many on this page--"many have grievances... but this is not the way of expressing them." Terrorism is the new global cancer that we all must unite against.
Paul Antenore, Boston USA

Four months ago I moved to NY from Bayswater, London. After hearing sirens and explosions this morning, I walked into my living room to find that both twin towers that dominate the view from my window, were on fire. In shock I immediately attempted to contact my boyfriend who works close to the towers. My flat is on the 22nd floor of a building on Union Square which faces south so my view was unimpeded. I initially thought it was merely a fire and that the towers would be heavily damaged. I switched on the news to find to my horror that it was a terrorist attack. When the first tower collapsed, I began to shake and cry as it was so terrifying and unexpected.
My boyfriend, was trapped in his building due to the volume of debris and smoke, which had turned the day to night and made breathing impossible. Thankfully he was later able to walk home and is unharmed. The streets are packed with people. Everyone is subdued and almost all the shops are closed. Many people are just sitting on the pavement. It seems that everyone is in shock. It is an historic and tragic day which has left us all feeling extremely insecure and bewildered.
Yvonne Burton, USA

I may have lost many colleagues, luckily my wife made it out of the area before the towers collapsed. She witnessed the original explosions from her building nearby. Devastating and demoralising. This shall never be forgotten. Investigations must be intense and complete. Action must be taken.
Mike, USA

I was working in NYC, 31st floor of a nearby office where I saw the attack and collapse of the Twin Towers. It was difficult to see or breathe with all the smoke and debris. The smoke continues to billow as the sirens blare. It is the saddest and most worrying thing I have ever seen.
Sandy, UK

When the first tower collapsed, I began to shake and cry as it was so terrifying and unexpected

Yvonne Burton, USA

The smoke is still pouring into the sky from the area of Manhattan just across the bay at Sandy Hook/ Gateway National Park. It appears there are now naval operations as many of the coast guard stations in the area have been put on alert. It is very strange that during the incidents this morning, sirens were blaring throughout the area.
John Burnetski, Seabright, N.J. US.

We live in Arlington, VA just outside of Washington, DC in a high-rise building on the eight floor. Our balcony faces the city, with a panoramic view of the Pentagon, National Airport, and the entire downtown area of Washington, DC. We were watching the events unfolding on TV in New York. Then, at about 9:40 am Eastern Daylight Time, my husband and I heard an aircraft directly overhead. At first, we thought it was the jets that sometimes fly overhead. However, it appeared to be a small commercial aircraft. The engine was at full throttle.
First, the plane knocked down a number of street lamp poles, then headed directly for the Pentagon and crashed on the lawn near the west side the Pentagon. A huge fireball exploded with thick black smoke. Fire and rescue vehicles arrived soon thereafter and begin to attempt to put out the fire and rescue victims. Since then, the West side of the Pentagon has collapsed and is still smouldering. The city of Washington, DC and Northern Virginia where the Pentagon and many other defence-related facilities are located is under a state of emergency and high alert, with helicopters and F-16s flying overheard. The enormity of what we witnessed and what has happened has just begun to sink in. We just thank God we are okay and that it happened in Washington, DC where we are prepared to handle situations such as this.
D. S. Khavkin, Arlington, VA, USA

Shock...utter shock. I live 60 miles from Washington DC. Due to cancelled flights I am putting up some friends that cannot leave Virginia. I lived in NJ until recently and have dear friends that work(ed) in the WTC. God bless their families. My gut says to turn the desert into glass, my mind says only the guilty should suffer, and my heart weeps. God bless America
Paul Zdepski, Winchester VA, USA

I'm British and live and work in Manhattan and the sense of shock and disbelief is incredible. Apart from the immediate aftermath, the most amazing thing is that there was very little panic in the streets away from the immediate area. People are calmly trying to get home to their loved ones and are being patient and cooperative despite the difficulties of moving around. It just serves to demonstrate how resilient the spirit of the people of this great city are. New York City will bounce back from this outrage. It will not break us...
Matt Rayner, USA

I was a few blocks north of the financial district. I was in the street when the second building collapsed. It looked like an avalanche coming down. It is horrible to think of up to 50,000 people hurt and injured. As I walked to Grand Central it was surreal. People seemed dazed that this could happen. Masses of people were heading north and trying to get off of the island. Several building was surrounded by armed military. Every one seems to be in shock. All transportation out of the city is close leaving thousands of people stranded in the city. Everyone seems to be at a loss as to what to do immediately and in the future.
LJ Grau, USA

We are in a state of utter shock. State government has closed for the day here, universities have closed, too. There is an eerie quiet. We are all in a daze. My nephew called, wondering if his childhood friend was able to get out. There is no answer yet. How do you begin to console and explain why?
Colleen S., Tallahassee, FL, USA

I live across the river from the World Trade Center and can see it from my street. I went out to look after the first crash and saw a plane coming in low and make a deliberate turn towards the building. Then I saw the explosion. We watched all morning the smoke drifting towards us and saw the towers collapse. Each collapse shook my house. Many of my friends and neighbours were in those buildings. Later we saw Stealth Bombers circling overhead. Later still, some of the smoke started drifting over us and tiny bits of soot would occasionally fall. I wonder if the bodies of my friends and neighbours are part of that soot. Many children in my town will be parentless tonight.
Beth Goodtree, Bloomfield, NJ; USA

I was in a class at my college in downtown Brooklyn... when someone who was online said that the Pentagon was attacked and soon all classes were cancelled for the day. We could see the Manhattan skyline engulfed in smoke. We can normally see the WTCs but were shocked to see only smoke... this was around 10:30 AM EDT. All subways and buses were closed... cell phones did not work for like one or more hrs...we could not contact our family...ironically the internet was up and running so I used a website to call home. We gathered like 15 of our friends who all live in the borough of Queens of NYC...It took us more than four-and-a-half hours, a normal ride of one hour to get home.
Abhinav, New York, USA

I am on the Columbia University campus right now, about 144 blocks north of the WTC. All classes have been cancelled, and there is a surreal feeling here on the streets, but people feel much safer up here and cafes are open, people are walking up and down the sidewalks shopping as usual. The only indication that anything is amiss downtown are the long payphone lines (cell phones aren't working) the occasion roar of F-14s passing overhead. Most people can't get home because of the subway shutdown. I have yet to hear from friends who work and attend school downtown, and all New Yorkers will probably know someone who has died today when the final count becomes known.
Zandra Ellis, New York, USA

We're eight miles from NYC. My husband works in Jersey City, pretty much directly across from the WTC. He and some of the other managers were outside the store looking at the Twin Towers when the second plane hit. They didn't see the plane, but they could see the explosion.
They're bringing people over to New Jersey, to get them out of the City. They're using the former Military Ocean Terminal here in Bayonne for triage, bringing the injured over on boats. People are walking across the bridges connecting Manhattan to the outer boroughs to get home. My mother, who lives in downtown Bayonne, saw a couple of fighter jets over her house. My husband later saw them fly over toward NYC. I'm assuming that they were F-16s.
KA, USA

I live in Virginia but work in DC, I was listening to the radio about the what was thought to be a tragic accident in NY when the second plane hit the second tower, I was in shock, it was live on the radio about 15 minutes later as I approached the Wilson Bridge I saw a passenger plane that seemed to be struggling to stay in the air and I slammed my brakes thinking it was going to slam into the highway and then there was a ball of fire, I couldn't help it I actually screamed and then began to cry as the reality of what had happened sank in.
Paul Coleridge, USA