(Trends Wide) — On September 11, 2001, nineteen men hijacked four fuel-laden US commercial airliners en route to various West Coast destinations. In all, 2,977 people were killed in the terrorist attacks in New York City, Washington and outside of Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
The attack was orchestrated by al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden.
Credit: DOUG KANTER / AFP via Getty Images
The victims of September 11
At the World Trade Center (WTC) in lower Manhattan, 2,753 people were killed when hijacked flights, American Airlines 11 and United Airlines 175, were intentionally crashed into the north and south towers, or died as a result of the bombings. .
Of those who perished during the initial attacks and subsequent tower collapses, 343 were New York firefighters, 23 were city police officers and 37 were Port Authority agents.
The victims ranged in age from two to 85. Approximately 75-80% of the victims were men.
At the Pentagon in Washington, 184 people were killed when American Airlines Flight 77, which had been hijacked, crashed into the building.
Near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, 40 passengers and crew members aboard United Airlines Flight 93 were killed when the plane crashed into a field. The hijackers are believed to have crashed the plane at that location, rather than their unknown target, after passengers and crew attempted to retake control of the flight deck.
As of July 2019, 1,644 (60%) of 2,753 remains of WTC victims have been identified, according to the medical examiner’s office.
Chronology of the events
September 11, 2001 (ET)
– 8:46 am – American Airlines Flight 11 (traveling from Boston to Los Angeles) hits the North Tower of the World Trade Center in New York City.
– 9:03 am – United Airlines Flight 175 (traveling from Boston to Los Angeles) hits the South Tower of the World Trade Center in New York City.
– 9:37 am – American Airlines Flight 77 (traveling from Dulles, Virginia, to Los Angeles) hits the Pentagon building in Washington.
– 9:59 am – The south tower of the WTC collapses in approximately 10 seconds.
– 10:03 am – United Airlines Flight 93 (traveling from Newark, NJ, to San Francisco) crashes in a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
– 10:28 am – The north tower of the WTC collapses. The time between the first attack and the collapse of both World Trade Center towers is 102 minutes.
December 13, 2001 – The United States government publishes a video in which Osama bin Laden takes responsibility for the attacks.
December 18, 2001 – Congress passes a measure to allow the president to designate September 11 as “Patriot’s Day” on each anniversary of the attacks.
December 2001 to June 15, 2004 – The original Victims Compensation Fund processes the death and injury claims of family members of 9/11 victims. The families of the dead had until December 22, 2003 to request compensation. The fund reopens in 2011.
May 24, 2007 – The Chief Medical Examiner of New York, Dr. Charles S. Hirsch, rules that the death of Felicia Dunn-Jones in 2002, from exposure to dust, is directly related to the 9/11 attack and therefore is a homicide .
July 19, 2007 – The New York Medical Examiner’s Office announces that the remains of three more people have been identified. 1,133 victims, 41% of the total, remain unidentified.
Jan 2009 – The coroner’s office rules that Leon Heyward, who died the previous year of lymphoma and lung disease, is a homicide victim because he was trapped in the cloud of toxic dust just after the towers collapsed.
January 2, 2011 – President Barack Obama signs the James Zadroga Health and Compensation Act of 9/11 2010, reopening and expanding the scope of the Victims Compensation Fund.
June 17, 2011 – The New York medical examiner rules that the death of Jerry Borg on December 15, 2010, is the result of the inhalation of toxic substances from the dust cloud generated by the collapse of the twin towers.
May 10, 2014 – The unidentified remains of those killed in the attacks are returned to the World Trade Center site, where they will be kept in a warehouse under the jurisdiction of the New York City Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.
August 7, 2017 – The New York City Medical Examiner’s Office announces that the remains of a man killed at the World Trade Center are positively identified due to the availability of more sophisticated DNA tests.
2019 – The New York City Medical Examiner’s Office identifies the remains of three victims using DNA testing.
September 11 Victims Compensation Fund: The original fund operated from December 2001 to June 2004.
The initial Victims Compensation Fund received 7,408 applications for death and personal injury claims.
The fund granted compensation in 5,560 of those cases.
The reopened and expanded fund has been in operation since January 2, 2011. Information on total claims is regularly updated and published here.
The families who agreed to get compensation from the federal fund agreed not to sue the airlines.
Economic impact
US$ 500.000 – This is the estimated amount of money believed to have cost to plan and execute the September 11 attacks.
US $ 123.000 millones – It is the estimated economic loss during the first 2-4 weeks after the collapse of the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York, as well as the decrease in air travel in the coming years.
US $ 60.000 millones – It is the estimated cost of damage to the WTC site, including damage to the surrounding buildings, infrastructure, and metro facilities.
US $ 40.000 millones – It is the value of the emergency antiterrorist package approved by the United States Congress on September 14, 2001.
US $ 15.000 millones – It was the economic aid package approved by Congress to rescue the airlines.
US $ 9.300 millones – It is the number of insurance claims derived from the September 11 attacks.
Cleaning at Ground Zero
May 30, 2002 – The cleanup at Ground Zero officially ends.
3.1 million man-hours were needed to clear 1.8 million tons of rubble.
The total cost of the cleanup was $ 750 million.
National security
The Department of Homeland Security was created in response to September 11.
It merged 22 government agencies into one, including the Customs Service, the Immigration and Naturalization Service, the United States Coast Guard and the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Through the Container Security Initiative, more than 80% of imported containerized ocean cargo is pre-screened before entering the United States.
March 12, 2002 – The National Security Advisory System is introduced.
April 26, 2011 – The National Terrorism Advisory System (NTAS) replaces the color-coded National Security Advisory System (HSAS).
Learn more about the attacks of September 11, 2001 in this special on Trends Wide en Español.
