Jet-fuel
fireballs billowed orange when two jetliners powered into the tallest
buildings on the New York City skyline. The air fast turned black and
acrid, and some workers jumped from shattered windows of the World Trade
Center's twin towers as debris and shredded office supplies showered
the streets of lower Manhattan.
Refugees
from the burning buildings raced and staggered outside into what had
been, a few minutes earlier, a crystalline day. Some screamed, others
cried out, others sat on curbsides in mute shock, their faces and their
business suits streaked with soot. The unhurt supported the wounded,
with one man helping a stranger who had lost much of his skin.
Terrorists
had exploded their bombs before, including one at this very same place,
but no one had ever experienced anything as stunning as today's attack
on the World Trade Center. Witnesses described watching one of the towers
collapse, saying it looked as though one of the best-known landmarks
in the country had simply melted.
Fireman
Carlos Mainz, draped in soot, lined up victims beside the smoldering
buildings. "Some were alive, some were dead, some were really badly
burned," Mainz said. "It just rained and rained soot, and
it was dark. When you see cops running, you know you've got no chance.
Mayor
Rudolph W. Guliani said the attack caused a "horrendous number
of lives lost" at the twin towers, where about 50,000 people worked.
The first plane hit shortly before 9 a.m., and the second about 25 minutes
later. No accurate estimate of the number of casualties was available
this afternoon.
Giuliani
ordered an evacuation of the lower part of Manhattan and said the primary
election for the city had been canceled. Subway service stopped. Airports
were closed. With cellular
telephone systems out of service, Manhattanites lined up at phone booths.Clusters
of people gathered around hot dog stands to listen to radios. Parents
pulled their children from schools. New York Gov. George Partake announced
he was sending National Guard units.
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