On September 11, 2001, terrorists crashed two flights into the World Trade Center in New York City, bringing down the twin 110-storey towers. The Hindu correspondent Sridhar Krishnaswami witnessed and reported on the chaotic atmosphere on the streets as people and authorities struggled to comprehend the scale of the attack. According to the article, thousands are stranded at the nation's airports, which have been shut down, while rescue efforts are underway in Lower Manhattan. The authorities have called out the National Guard to augment the 40,000 police and 15,000 firefighters on site, with intelligence agencies stunned by the coordination and precision of the terrorist acts.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-11,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
9/11 report from the ground: Smoke, shock spread over New York
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shock → spread → York
The Hindu article ‘Smoke, shock spread over New York’, published on September 12, 2001, captured the chaotic atmosphere on the streets of New York City
The Hindu report ‘Smoke, shock spread over New York’ published on September 12, 2001.
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shock → spread → September
September 11, 2001, has gone down in history as the most devastating terror attack on one of the most powerful nations, which had ramifications across the globe.
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which → go → globe
In a deadly series of blows, terrorists crashed two flights into the World Trade Center that brought down the twin 110-storey towers.
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that → crash → towers
The Hindu correspondent Sridhar Krishnaswami witnessed the horrifying events that unfolded in the New York City and extensively covered the attack aftermath from the ground.
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that → witness → ground
His article ‘Smoke, shock spread over New York’, appeared on the frontpage of the newspaper the next day, captured the chaotic atmosphere on the streets even as both people and law enforcement agencies were stumped by the kind of coordination and precision the terrorist acts had been executed on the U.S. soil.
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acts → appear → soil
On the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, we reproduce the original article.
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we → reproduce → article
Smoke, shock spread over New York
The scene is truly tense in this city which has had its share of terrorism eight years ago.
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which → have → terrorism
In 1993 an attack on the World Trade Center left six dead and more than 1000 injured.
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1000 → leave → six
But this time around, no one is even tempted to make a guess.
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one → tempt → guess
The twin towers of the World Trade Center are gone; only smoke is filling the air and one that can be seen miles away.
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that → go → air
People run from the collapse of one of the twin towers at the World Trade Center in New York on September 11, 2001.
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People → run → September
Thousands are moving away from the scene which the authorities have blocked to facilitate rescue efforts.
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authorities → move → efforts
And with the nation’s airports shut down, thousands are stranded and the authorities are trying to talk people into getting out of Lower Manhattan.
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authorities → shut → Manhattan
People are milling around television sets in hotel lobbies or listening to radios on street corners.
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People → mill → corners
Some of the shops in this busy part of town that hardly goes to sleep have downed their shutters.
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that → go → shutters
And telephones and cell phones do not seem to be working.
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telephones → seem → ?
The frustration is very visible as one strolls down the street.
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one → stroll → street
In a time when roadside telephone booths seemed to be a thing of the past, there are actually lines of people wanting to use them, if a connection could be made.
uncertain
connection → seem → them
With the Brooklyn bridge in the foreground, a plane explodes after hitting the second tower of the World Trade Center as the other tower burns, in New York on September 11, 2001.
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tower → explode → September
Photo Credit:
Reuters
If the authorities in Washington D.C. have declared a State of Emergency and called out the army to patrol sensitive areas, the National Guard in New York has got the call to augment the 40,000 police and 15,000 fire fighters.
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Guard → declare → police
What has stunned intelligence and law enforcement agencies, as also the common man, is the kind of coordination and precision the terrorist acts had been executed.
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acts → stun → coordination
In a span of 18 minutes two planes rammed the World Trade Centre; shortly thereafter the Pentagon was hit.
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Pentagon → ram → Centre
And at least two other civilian aircraft went down, for reasons that are now being determined.
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that → go → reasons
At least 110 people are said to have died in these two crashes.
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people → say → crashes
The first impression here and elsewhere is where intelligence went wrong; and some are already talking about the colossal intelligence failure.
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some → go → failure
There will be a lot of soul searching on what it was that actually went wrong.
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that → go → searching
Equally stunning is that terrorists have been able to target the actual nerve centres of the government, the Pentagon in particular.
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been → target → government
An American flag flies near the base of the destroyed world trade center in new york, September 11, 2001.
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flag → fly → york
Planes crashed into each of the two towers, causing them to collapse.
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them → crash → towers
Emergency personnel work in the debris of the World Trade Centre in New York, Wednesday, September 12, 2001.
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personnel → work → York
Rescue workers dug for bodies in mountains of rubble as the city struggled to recover from an airborne attack on the World Trade Centre on Tuesday that shut down the nation’s financial capital and created a new skyline etched in terror.
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that → dig → terror
Rescue workers and vehicles are deployed near the site of the World Trade Centre in New York, Wednesday, September 12, 2001.
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workers → deploy → York
Combo TV images show a tower of the World Trade Centre collapsing after two planes crashed into the complex on September 11, 2001, destroying New York’s mighty twin towers.
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planes → show → towers
The 9/11 attack's "falling man" was one of the most iconic and haunting images, depicting a person falling headfirst from the north tower of New York’s World Trade Centre on Tuesday, September 11, 2001.
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person → fall → Tuesday
Smoke, flames and debris erupt from one of the World Trade Centre towers as a plane strikes it on September 11, 2001.
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plane → erupt → September
The first tower was already burning following a terror attack minutes earlier.
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tower → burn → attack
Terrorists crashed planes into the two buildings, causing both towers to collapse.
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towers → crash → buildings
The south tower of the World Trade Centre bursts into flames after being struck by United Airlines Flight 175 in New York on September 11, 2001.
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tower → burst → September
With the Brooklyn Bridge in the foreground, a plane explodes after hitting the second tower of the World Trade Centre as the other tower burns, in New York, September 11, 2001.
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tower → explode → York
…and 23 more, not listed.
