At 08:46 Eastern Standard Time on 11th September 2001 hijackers crashed American Airlines Flight 11 into the North Tower of the World Trade Centre in New York. Seven minutes later at 09:03 EST, the South tower was struck by United Airlines Flight 175.
The impact of the aircraft on both towers had weakened the load bearing structures and the intense fires from the jet fuel caused the floors to weaken as well. The effect was the structures failed. At 9:59 the South Tower collapsed after burning for 56 minutes. The North Tower collapsed after burning for 102 minutes at 10:28.
The devastated site of the Twin Towers became known as Ground Zero.
To commemorate 9/11 and remember those lost, Ground Zero is now memorial plaza with two pools built in the actual footprint of the Twin Towers
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| New York 2019 Ground Zero from World Trade Centre Hotel |
Overlooking Ground Zero is One World Trade Centre, built as a replacement for the Twin Towers.
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| New York 2019 Ground Zero and One World Trade Centre Hotel |
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| New York 2019 Ground Zero and One World Trade Centre Hotel |
The tops of the walls surrounding the two memorial pools contain the names of those lost in the attack on the World Trade Centre on 11th September 2001, 295 on the hijacked planes, 2,606 in the World Trade Centre, and 6 killed in an earlier bombing of the WTC in 1993.
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| New York 2019 Ground Zero and World Trade Centre Hotel |
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| New York 2019 Ground Zero and The Oculus |
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| Ground Zero - 9/11 Memorial |
Fire Department New York First Responder George C Cain from Ladder 7 which is based on Douane Street at the end of Brooklyn Bridge. Firefighter Cain was one of 343 members if the FDNY who lost their lives in the World Trade Centres.
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| New York 2019 Ground Zero - George C Cain |
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Todd Beamer was an account manager for Oracle Corporation and was one of the passengers on Flight 93 who tried to regain control of the hijacked aeroplane form the terrorists. As a result of their action Flight 93 was not able to reach it's intended target in Washington DC, crashing into the ground in Pennsylvania.
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| New York 2019 Ground Zero - Todd M Beamer |
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| New York 2019 Ground Zero - Todd M Beamer |
In October 2001 a severely damaged tree was found in the rubble of Ground Zero. Whilst it had been burned, it's branches broken, and roots snapped, there was a one branch still alive. The tree was recovered and placed in the care of the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation. The Department brought the tree back to life and in 2010 was re-planted in the 9/11 Memorial.It became known as the 'Survivor Tree'
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| New York 2019 Ground Zero - Survivor Tree |
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| New York 2019 Ground Zero - Survivor Tree VM and IJ |