The United States is marking 25 years since the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, with families, survivors and communities across the country gathering to remember the nearly 3,000 people who lost their lives.
The attacks began on the morning of September 11, 2001, when 19 al-Qaeda hijackers took control of four commercial passenger planes.
Two aircraft were flown into the World Trade Center’s Twin Towers in New York, another struck the Pentagon near Washington, D.C., while a fourth crashed into a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, after passengers and crew members attempted to overpower the hijackers.
A total of 2,977 people were killed in the attacks, which became one of the defining events of the 21st century.
At New York’s Ground Zero, victims’ families are taking part in the annual reading of the names of those killed.
The 25th anniversary ceremony includes six moments of silence marking key moments in the attacks, including when the two World Trade Center towers were struck and when they collapsed, as well as the attack on the Pentagon and the crash of Flight 93.
For the first time, a seventh moment of silence is also being observed for people who have died from illnesses linked to exposure to toxic dust following the attacks.
The impact of September 11 has extended far beyond those who died that day.
Thousands of first responders, rescue workers and others who were exposed to the dust and debris at Ground Zero have suffered long-term health problems. The New York Fire Department is also remembering the 343 firefighters and other members who died in the attacks, as well as members who have since died from World Trade Center-related illnesses.
Memorial events are also taking place at the Pentagon and the Flight 93 National Memorial in Pennsylvania, where the names of the 40 passengers and crew members killed aboard Flight 93 are being read.
The National Park Service says the Flight 93 anniversary observance includes a wreath-laying ceremony at the Wall of Names, honouring those who died after their attempt to stop the hijackers.
Twenty-five years on, the attacks continue to shape American life and global affairs. They led to sweeping changes in airport security, intelligence gathering and counterterrorism policy, while the U.S.-led wars in Afghanistan and Iraq became part of the attacks’ long and controversial aftermath.
For millions of people born after 2001, September 11 is now an event learned about through history books, memorials and the memories of those who experienced it.
But at Ground Zero and other memorial sites across the United States, the message remains the same: the lives lost on September 11, 2001, will not be forgotten.
