An annual ceremony to remember those who died on September 11, 2001, is being held in lower Manhattan on Monday, 22 years after the World Trade Center’s Twin Towers collapsed in the deadliest terror attack on U.S. soil. CBS News New York is streaming 9/11 memorial coverage starting at 8:25 a.m. ET with the reading of the names of those who were killed at ground zero.
How many people died in the 9/11 attacks?
Nearly 3,000 people were killed after four planes were hijacked by attackers from the Al Qaeda terrorist group.
Two planes flew into the World Trade Center’s Twin Towers in New York. One plane was flown into the Pentagon. Another aircraft crashed into an open field in Pennsylvania after passengers fought back — the only plane that didn’t reach its intended destination.
The painstaking process of positively identifying the remains of those killed at the World Trade Center continues more than two decades after the attack. With advancements in DNA technology, remains of two victims were ID’d just last week.
In addition to the toll that day, the World Trade Center attack exposed hundreds of thousands of people in lower Manhattan to toxic air and debris, and hundreds have since died from post-9/11 related illnesses. The exact number is unknown, but firefighter union leaders say 341 FDNY members have died of illnesses related 9/11, CBS New York reports.
What time did the 9/11 attacks happen?
The first plane, American Airlines Flight 11, crashed into the World Trade Center’s North Tower at 8:46 a.m. ET, killing everyone aboard and trapping people in upper floors of the tower. At 9:03 a.m., the second plane, United Airlines Flight 175, hit the World Trade Center’s South Tower. Both towers soon collapsed — the South Tower just before 10 a.m., then the North Tower a half-hour later.
American Airlines Flight 77 hit the Pentagon at 9:37 a.m.
Then at 10:03 a.m., United Flight 93 crashed into a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
