New York City commemorated the 25th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks Friday with ceremonies at Ground Zero, including the annual Tribute in Light installation and an expanded observance that acknowledged the long-term health toll of the attacks.
Nearly 3,000 people died on September 11, 2001, when Islamic terrorists hijacked four U.S. commercial planes and flew them into targets across the nation. The attack remains the deadliest terror attack in history. Nearly 2,800 people were killed when two jets crashed into the World Trade Center's Twin Towers, which subsequently collapsed. An estimated 17,400 people were in the two towers when the first plane struck. No one survived above the impact zone in the North Tower, though 18 people above the impact zone in the South Tower managed to escape.
The anniversary observance included seven moments of silence. Four marked the times each of the four hijacked flights crashed, and two marked the collapses of the Twin Towers. A seventh moment of silence, added this year, memorialized those who have died from health issues related to the attacks—a recognition of consequences that have extended far beyond September 11, 2001.
According to the WTC Health Program, more than 9,000 people have died from health problems connected to 9/11, a figure that is triple the number of casualties from the attacks themselves. The addition of the seventh moment of silence reflected growing recognition of these long-term health consequences among survivors and first responders.