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It’s almost 20 years since the September 11 attacks but for many survivors, the pain and trauma are still raw.

Some were left with life-changing physical injuries, while many still struggle with the mental torment caused by the events of that day.

One of the most severely injured survivors, Lauren Manning, suffered burns to more than 80% of her body.

“By any medical standard, I should have died,” she tells Sky News.

Lauren had just entered the World Trade Center’s North Tower when the first hijacked plane crashed into the building, sending a fireball hurtling down a lift shaft and into the lobby.

The first hijacked plane hit the North Tower of the World Trade Center
Image:
The first hijacked plane hit the North Tower of the World Trade Center

“There was this incredibly loud, piercing, whistling sound and an instant later I was engulfed in flames,” she says.

“The pain was incalculable, crushing, penetrating deeper and deeper.

“I was burning alive. There are no other words for it.”

As Lauren fought against the flames, she ran outside and across a road before dropping and rolling on a grass embankment where a man tried to help her.

“I didn’t fall down and die in a heap of flames – I struggled against them,” she says.

“I was screaming to him: ‘Get me the hell out of here!'”

As she lay severely injured, Lauren watched in horror as terrorists smashed a second plane into the World Trade Center’s South Tower.

HOLD FOR STORY FILE - In this Sept. 11, 2001, file photo, smoke billows from one of the towers of the World Trade Center and flames as debris explodes from the second tower in New York. Family members of 9/11 families and others harmed in the terrorist attacks are on a fresh quest to hold Saudi Arabia responsible. A magistrate judge presiding over a Thursday, March 23, 2017, hearing says she hopes to streamline the legal process to speed the lawsuits along. (AP Photo/Chao Soi Cheong, File)
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Nearly 3,000 people died in the 9/11 attacks. Pic: AP

She saw people fall from the skyscrapers, knowing that her colleagues from financial firm Cantor Fitzgerald were trapped on the upper floors.

All of the company’s 658 employees in the office on September 11 were killed that day.

On the ground, Lauren – who had previously escaped the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center – managed to find an ambulance but her chances of survival were slim.

“The burns were extraordinary,” she says.

“It burnt 82.5% (of my body), most of it third-degree.

“More than 20% was fourth or fifth degree, which means you lose the muscle or the bone – so various amputations (were needed) on fingers on both hands.”

• ‘I was so afraid my son would not recognise me’

Lauren spent six months in hospital after suffering burns to more than 80% of her body. Pic: Lauren Manning
Image:
Lauren spent six months in hospital after suffering burns to more than 80% of her body. Pic: Lauren Manning

Lauren was rushed to hospital and eventually placed in an induced coma before being moved to a specialist burns centre.

Over three months while she was in a coma, her husband Greg would read Robert Burns poems and play music from their dating days.

“Perhaps it had an impact on me, knowing I was loved,” she says.

“My parents drove hours and hours expecting me to be dead – and they were there every day.”

Several days after waking from her coma, Lauren’s then one-year-old son Tyler visited her for the first time since the attack.

Lauren was reunited with her son about three months after 9/11 attack. Pic: Lauren Manning
Image:
Lauren was reunited with her son about three months after 9/11 attack. Pic: Lauren Manning

“I was so afraid that he would not recognise me,” she says.

“He came down the hall and there he was walking. A beautiful little soul.

“He did not recognise me at first…. but he came back towards me and he recognised me, I guess through the eyes and the voice.

“That was everything I needed.”

Lauren spent more than six months in hospital but her recovery – which involved several operations – took nearly 10 years.

“You get burned – which is probably the most sadistic form of human torture – and it takes years and years,” she says.

Lauren Manning pictured with her husband Greg and their two sons Jagger and Tyler. Pic: Lauren Manning
Image:
Lauren pictured with her husband Greg and their two sons Jagger and Tyler. Pic: Lauren Manning

Lauren, whose second son Jagger was born in 2009, still has contact numbers listed in her phone for many of her colleagues who died on 11 September 2001.

“The notion of the murders and the terror and the death are never far away,” she adds.

The fire official who narrowly escaped Twin Tower collapse

Lynn Tierney arrived at the World Trade Center after both planes had hit the Twin Towers.

The deputy commissioner at New York City’s fire department had been due to attend a job interview on the 68th floor of the North Tower that morning – but her plans had been drastically changed by the terror attacks.

Lynn Tierney was a deputy commissioner at New York City Fire Department. Pic: NYC Fire Department
Image:
Lynn Tierney was a deputy commissioner at New York City Fire Department. Pic: NYC Fire Department

“It was a horrific scene outside,” she says.

“Both towers were burning… it was engulfing the upper floors.

“But in addition to the flames, the worst thing was there were people jumping (from the towers).

“I saw a couple jump with their hands together. That was unbelievable.

“It continued the whole time we were in the lobby. You could hear it. It was a terrible sound.

“I can’t imagine the choice they were faced with. I was just thinking about their families. It was just horrific.”

People watch smoke billow from the Twin Towers. Pic: AP
Image:
People watch smoke billow from the Twin Towers. Pic: AP

Lynn had travelled to the scene with 12 firefighters from two different units – all of whom later died during the rescue effort.

She walked into the lobby of the North Tower through a window after the exploding jet fuel had blown out the glass.

But at that point, fire chiefs had already determined they wouldn’t be able to put out the flames.

“The mission became purely rescue, to try to go up and get out as many people as possible,” she says.

Lynn was working to help coordinate the rescue effort from the north side of the North Tower when suddenly the South Tower collapsed.

• ‘The dust was so thick you could almost chew it’

People flee after the collapse of one of the towers. Pic: AP
Image:
People flee after the collapse of one of the towers. Pic: AP

She says she “ran like hell” and jumped into a loading dock about 80 yards away.

“The dust was so thick you could almost chew it,” she says.

“It was gritty so you couldn’t take a breath up your nose or anything.

“I was having trouble breathing. Everybody was.”

After entering the loading dock, Lynn says a police inspector tried to shield her with his body.

“That’s the only time I thought about dying,” she says.

“I just thought: ‘God, just let it be fast.’ I don’t want to linger in here like a miner for 18 days and be crushed at the same time.”

After getting to safety, Lynn was in New York City Hall when the second tower collapsed, about two blocks away.

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9/11: ‘People decided between burning and jumping’

The force of the building collapse blew the hall’s doors open and as smoke and dust came into the building, Lynn hid in a staircase.

Some 343 firefighters died that day and Lynn wrote about 100 eulogies for the victims.

On one day alone, 23 funerals were held.

“These emotions from 9/11 are always under the surface,” says Lynn, who later became president of the 9/11 Tribute Centre and held the role until 2007.

“You learn to live with it. I call it ‘keeping a bolt in your heart’.

“It’s overwhelming sometimes. The oddest thing for me is I lived through it.

“I can’t believe I got out of there. That’s the biggest surprise.”

• The British trader who felt Twin Tower plane crash

Briton Charlie Gray thought an earthquake had hit New York when he was working in the North Tower on 11 September 2001.

The London-born trader, who was employed by broker firm ICAP, was stood in the office on the 26th floor when the building “shook and moved”.

Charlie Gray escaped the September 11 attacks in New York
Image:
Charlie Gray escaped the September 11 attacks in New York

Suddenly, he saw debris falling from the upper floors.

“You could see this stuff was really burning,” Charlie tells Sky News.

“We thought it must be something like a bomb.

“Nobody had to tell us. Everybody just headed for the stairs.”

Charlie and his colleagues began walking down the tower but they were slowed down as more and more people entered the stairwell, before they passed three firefighters on the 17th floor.

“As they passed us we heard on their radio another plane has hit the South Tower,” Charlie says.

“It had taken about 17 minutes to get down nine floors.”

‘It was like a warzone’

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What is the legacy of 9/11?

Charlie describes the scene outside the World Trade Center as “like a warzone”.

He says he saw body parts on the street and cars that had been destroyed by falling debris.

A “black charred body” landed about 30ft away as he walked to the ferry terminal and he watched 20 people jump from the towers, he says.

“What was their option?” Charlie asks.

“You stand and either die of smoke inhalation, you burn to death, or you take that quick leap and get it over with.”

After boarding a ferry, Charlie “heard a rumble” and watched as the South Tower came down.

“In less than a minute, the dock where we were just standing was a mass of dust and dirt,” he adds.

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Charlie says 20 of his friends were killed that day – including one he saw in the lobby of the North Tower shortly before the first plane struck.

He says a psychiatrist later diagnosed him with a form of PTSD called “guilt disorder”.

“I was having trouble getting my head around why so many people died and I didn’t,” Charlie says.

After moving back to the UK in 2016, he now gives motivational speeches but admits he still sometimes struggles with the emotional toll of 9/11.

“I get a little teary now and again,” he says.

“I think about things and get a little bit upset because it was an awful day.

“It will never go – that monkey will always be on my back.

“But I found talking about it and sharing my experiences with people helped me get through it.”

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Baltimore bridge collapse: Pilot dropped anchor in bid to avert crash after power went out for just over a minute

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Baltimore bridge collapse: Pilot dropped anchor in bid to avert crash after power went out for just over a minute

A pilot on board the cargo ship that crashed into the Baltimore bridge tried to swing it clear of a collision by dropping its port anchor to pivot it away, authorities said.

The pilot and a second on board at the time of collision will be interviewed by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) today.

The US Coast Guard also confirmed that the container ship’s engines had undergone routine maintenance while in the Baltimore port.

In a press conference, officials said one of the Dali’s pilots dropped the port anchor in an effort to pivot it clear of the Francis Scott Key bridge.

Information recovered from the ship’s voyage data recorder (VDR) showed power failed for just one minute and three seconds as it approached the structure, but that was enough for the collision to become seemingly unavoidable .

The recorder, which officials noted is “very basic” when compared to those on aircraft, stopped picking up sensor data during the outage but did record audio of the pilot giving steering commands and rudder orders and had enough information to create a timeline leading up to impact:

00:39:00 VDR recorded ship’s departure from Seagirt Marine Terminal
01:07 ship had entered the Fort McHenry Channel
01:24 ship was on a heading underway on a true heading of approx 141 degrees at a speed of 8 knots / 9.2mph
01:24:59 Numerous audible alarms recorded on ships bridge audio – at same time, the VDR stopped recording sensor data, but continued to record audio using redundant power source
01:26:02 VDR sensor data recording resumed. Steering commands and rudder orders were recorded on the audio during this time
01:26:39 Pilot made general VHF call for tugs in the vicinity to assist. At the same time, the power of association dispatcher phoned the Maryland Transport Authority (MDTA) duty officer regarding the blackout
01:27:04 Pilot ordered the DALI to drop the port anchor and ordered additional steering commands
01:27:25 Pilot issued a radio call over the VHF radio reporting the DALI had lost all power and was heading towards the bridge. Around this time MDTA data shows the following also occurred: the duty officer radioed to their units that were already on scene due to construction on the bridge – one on each side of the bridge – and ordered them to close the traffic on the bridge. All lanes were then shut down by MDTA
01:29:00 ship’s speed was just under 7 knots / 8pmh and from 0129:00 to 01:29:33 the ship’s audio recorded the collision of the bridge
01:29:39 Pilot reported the bridge down over the audio to the coast guard

More on Baltimore Bridge Collapse

NTSB officials on board the container ship Pic: NTSB
Image:
NTSB officials on board the ship Pic: NTSB

An official also said that the Key Bridge was fracture-critical, which means “if a member fails that would likely cause a portion of, or the entire bridge, to collapse, there’s no redundancy”.

NTSB board chair Jennifer Homendy also noted that according to the Federal Highway Administration, there are close to 17,500 fracture-critical bridges in the US.

She added: “It’s pretty devastating, certainly, seeing not just what’s going on with the cargo containers, but just looking at what was a bridge span – three bridge spans that is pretty much gone. It’s just utter devastation.”

It comes after the bodies of two victims were recovered from a red pick-up truck that was found in the Patapsco River, around 25 feet deep in the water.

The men recovered have been identified as Alejandro Hernandez Fuentes, 35, who was from Mexico and lived in Baltimore, and Dorlian Ronial Castillo Cabrera, 26, who was from Guatemala and lived in Dundalk, Maryland.

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Earlier on Wednesday, the first two missing construction workers were named as Miguel Luna, a 49-year-old from El Salvador, and Maynard Sandoval, a 37-year-old father-of-two. Two other people are also still missing – all are presumed dead.

The recovery mission is now a salvage operation as it is no longer safe for divers to navigate or operate around the debris and concrete in the port.

Read more:
Everything we know about the disaster
End of an era in Baltimore

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Baltimore: Second missing man named

The victims, who were from Mexico, Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala, were part of a crew filling potholes on the bridge’s road surface at the time of the collapse.

The Key Bridge carried the Interstate 695 highway over the Patapsco River southeast of the Baltimore metropolitan area.

US President Joe Biden has promised that he will visit Baltimore “as soon as possible”, adding that the federal government will cover the “full cost” of rebuilding the bridge – which experts say could be over $600m (£474m).

Pic: NTSB via AP
Image:
Four men are still missing and presumed dead by authorities. Pic: NTSB via AP

Its main section spanned 1,200 feet and was one of the longest continuous truss bridges in the world upon its completion, according to the National Steel Bridge Alliance.

The Dali was previously involved in a minor incident when it hit a quay at the Port of Antwerp in Belgium in 2016, where it was damaged, according to Vessel Finder and maritime accident site Shipwrecklog.

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Baltimore bridge collapse: Audio of first responder call emerges – ‘the whole bridge just fell down’

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Baltimore bridge collapse: Audio of first responder call emerges - 'the whole bridge just fell down'

Audio has emerged of a first responder call as officials halted traffic on both sides of the Francis Scott Key Bridge moments before it collapsed.

The cargo ship had issued a mayday call to alert authorities it had lost power before it collided with the Baltimore bridge on Tuesday morning.

Following the call, Maryland Transportation Authority Police Dispatch and Response officials acted swiftly, shutting down the north and south sides of the bridge.

Read more:
Everything we know about the disaster
First missing worker named

In the audio, one official instructs: “Hold all traffic on the Key Bridge… There’s a ship approaching that just lost their steering so until we get that under control, we’ve got to stop all traffic.

“Make sure no one’s on the bridge right now. There’s a crew up there… You might want to notify the foreman to see if we can get them off the bridge temporarily.”

Another responds saying he would “grab the workers” but it was too late.

A second later, a voice is heard saying: “The whole bridge just fell down. Start, start whoever… everybody. The whole bridge just collapsed.”

In other developments, investigators at the National Safety Transportation Board have confirmed that the cargo ship’s data recorder has now been recovered – and they are examining whether contaminated fuel played a role in the crash.

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New angle shows moment bridge hit

The Dali ship ploughed into one of the bridge’s supports and, in an instant, the 1.6-mile-long structure had fallen into the Patapsco River, along with vehicles and workers who were on it at the time.

Six workers missing after the collapse are presumed dead, the executive vice president of Brawner Builders has confirmed.

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Officials say the rescue mission for the group has now become a recovery operation.

It comes as Miguel Luna, from El Salvador, was named as one of the six people on the Francis Scott Key Bridge when it collapsed.

All 22 crew members on board the ship, including the two pilots, have been accounted for and there were no reports of injuries.

This satellite image provided by Maxar Technologies shows a view of the Francis Scott Key Bridge that was struck by a container ship in Baltimore, Md., on Tuesday, March 26, 2024.  The container ship lost power and rammed into the major bridge causing the span to buckle into the river below. (Maxaar Technologies via AP)
Image:
A satellite image of the incident. Pic: AP

Maryland Governor Wes Moore said he spoke to the families of the victims, assuring them since the mission had transitioned from search and rescue to recovery he would “put every possible resource to bring [them] a sense of closure”.

He praised the “true heroism” of the first responders who “saved countless lives that night”.

Mr Moore also said he was “overwhelmed” by the amount of support from both the Democratic and Republican parties as he stressed the importance of getting the bridge rebuilt.

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‘True accountability’ for Baltimore bridge collapse

Meanwhile, US President Joe Biden has promised that he will visit Baltimore “as soon as possible”, adding that the federal government will cover the “full cost” of rebuilding the bridge – which experts say could be over $600m (£474m).

He told reporters: “Everything so far indicates that this was a terrible accident. At this time we have no other indication, no other reason to believe there’s any intentional act here.

“Personnel on board the ship were able to alert the Maryland Department of Transportation that they had lost control of their vessel.”

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Timeline of Baltimore bridge collapse

Mr Biden added that this meant local authorities were able to close the bridge before it was struck, which “undoubtedly saved lives”.

He continued: “Our prayers are with everyone involved in this terrible accident and all the families [affected], especially those waiting for news of their loved one right now. I know every minute in that circumstance feels like a lifetime.”

The Key Bridge carries the Interstate 695 highway over the Patapsco River southeast of the Baltimore metropolitan area.

Its main section spans 1,200 feet and was one of the longest continuous truss bridges in the world upon its completion, according to the National Steel Bridge Alliance.

The Dali was previously involved in a minor incident when it hit a quay at the Port of Antwerp in Belgium in 2016, where it was damaged, according to Vessel Finder and maritime accident site Shipwrecklog.

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Baltimore bridge collapse: Audio of first responder call emerges – ‘the whole bridge just fell down’

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Audio has emerged of a first responder call as officials halted traffic on both sides of the Francis Scott Key Bridge moments before it collapsed.

The cargo ship had issued a mayday call to alert authorities it had lost power before it collided with the Baltimore bridge on Tuesday morning.

Following the call, Maryland Transportation Authority Police Dispatch and Response officials acted swiftly, shutting down the north and south sides of the bridge.

Read more:
Everything we know about the disaster
First missing worker named

In the audio, one official instructs: “Hold all traffic on the Key Bridge… There’s a ship approaching that just lost their steering so until we get that under control, we’ve got to stop all traffic.

“Make sure no one’s on the bridge right now. There’s a crew up there… You might want to notify the foreman to see if we can get them off the bridge temporarily.”

Another responds saying he would “grab the workers” but it was too late.

A second later, a voice is heard saying: “The whole bridge just fell down. Start, start whoever… everybody. The whole bridge just collapsed.”

In other developments, investigators at the National Safety Transportation Board have confirmed that the cargo ship’s data recorder has now been recovered – and they are examining whether contaminated fuel played a role in the crash.

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

New angle shows moment bridge hit

The Dali ship ploughed into one of the bridge’s supports and, in an instant, the 1.6-mile-long structure had fallen into the Patapsco River, along with vehicles and workers who were on it at the time.

Six workers missing after the collapse are presumed dead, the executive vice president of Brawner Builders has confirmed.

Officials say the rescue mission for the group has now become a recovery operation.

It comes as Miguel Luna, from El Salvador, was named as one of the six people on the Francis Scott Key Bridge when it collapsed.

All 22 crew members on board the ship, including the two pilots, have been accounted for and there were no reports of injuries.

This satellite image provided by Maxar Technologies shows a view of the Francis Scott Key Bridge that was struck by a container ship in Baltimore, Md., on Tuesday, March 26, 2024.  The container ship lost power and rammed into the major bridge causing the span to buckle into the river below. (Maxaar Technologies via AP)
Image:
A satellite image of the incident. Pic: AP

Meanwhile, US President Joe Biden has promised that he will visit Baltimore “as soon as possible”, adding that the federal government will cover the “full cost” of rebuilding the bridge – which experts say could be over $600m (£474m).

He told reporters: “Everything so far indicates that this was a terrible accident. At this time we have no other indication, no other reason to believe there’s any intentional act here.

“Personnel on board the ship were able to alert the Maryland Department of Transportation that they had lost control of their vessel.”

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Timeline of Baltimore bridge collapse

Mr Biden added that this meant local authorities were able to close the bridge before it was struck, which “undoubtedly saved lives”.

He continued: “Our prayers are with everyone involved in this terrible accident and all the families [affected], especially those waiting for news of their loved one right now. I know every minute in that circumstance feels like a lifetime.”

The Key Bridge carries the Interstate 695 highway over the Patapsco River southeast of the Baltimore metropolitan area.

Its main section spans 1,200 feet and was one of the longest continuous truss bridges in the world upon its completion, according to the National Steel Bridge Alliance.

The Dali was previously involved in a minor incident when it hit a quay at the Port of Antwerp in Belgium in 2016, where it was damaged, according to Vessel Finder and maritime accident site Shipwrecklog.

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