The terrible tragedy that occurred on September 11, 2001, claimed the lives of a huge number of people. 2973 people were killed, and this, you see, is a significant figure.
The terrorist attack was preceded by the capture of four aircraft bound for California and the eastern United States. The aircraft tanks were full, so we can say that they turned into guided missiles.
What happened on this terrible day? On September 11, the twin towers collapsed.
At 8:45, one of the aircraft crashed into the North Tower - the Boeing 767. 92 people were on board (11 crew members, 5 terrorists and 76 passengers). The plane crashed between the 93rd and 99th floors. The fuel that burned in the tank rushed a pillar of fire down the elevator shaft, killing even those people who were in the lobby. At 10:29 a burning building collapsed, burying a huge number of people with it. The number of the aircraft crashing into the twin towers is AA11.
At 9:03 a plane also crashed into the South Tower, it was the second Boeing 767. The blow fell between the 77th and 81st floors. There were 65 people on board (5 terrorists, 9 crew members and 54 passengers). At 9:59 local time, the burning building collapsed. The aircraft number is UA175.
There were two more planes. One of them struck at the Pentagon, it happened at 9:40. Killed 184 people. And the latter fell in a Pennsylvania forest, near Pittsburgh. I managed to see the entries from the so-called “black box”. It became clear that the terrorists dived down when the resisting passengers tried to break into the cockpit. There were 44 people on board.
According to journalists, some passengers were able to call their relatives from captured planes. People reported terrorists: there were 4 people on one board, and 5 on the other. There is an opinion that this data was specially fabricated by the FBI because there was one call that caused great distrust. The mother’s son called and when she picked up the phone, she said: “Mom, it's me, John Smith.” Agree, it is unlikely that he would actually begin the conversation by presenting his last name.
Not a single person on board was able to survive. Killed 274 people on board the aircraft (terrorists are not counted), 2602 people in New York (both on the ground and in the towers), 125 people in the Pentagon.
Not only twin towers were affected. Five more buildings were either destroyed or badly damaged. In total, 25 buildings were damaged, and 7 had to be demolished.
What are the consequences of this terrible tragedy? Two skyscrapers and the adjacent wing of the Pentagon were destroyed. Killed about three thousand people. The New York Stock Exchange suspended its work for two days. The area adjacent to the site of the tragedy turned out to be completely strewn with ashes. The president declared martial law. The attack served as the beginning of the US war with Afghanistan, and then with Iraq.
The tragedy received national status, and news of it flew across the world in a matter of seconds. No wonder the terrorists chose these buildings because the twin towers were the pride of the United States.
The towers were built in the 60s, at which time the prestige of America was shaken. It was decided to build something gigantic, grandiose, stunning in order to restore optimism and faith in oneself and the future to people. No one imagined that the "project of the century" would turn into the main "tragedy of the century."