New York commemorates 9/11 anniversary

Memorials to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the devastating 9/11 attacks have taken place across the United States. The New York, Pentagon and Shanksville, Pennsylvania sites where the four hijacked commercial aircraft had crashed were a focal point of remembrance.

At the precise moment each plane and each of the twin towers had come crashing down, haunting single chimes tolled for a minute's silent contemplation.

The relatives' reading of the names of the 2,977 victims who perished in the atrocities has a particular poignancy, since the bodies of nearly 1,200 have never been recovered. President Biden empathised with victims' families.

Joe Biden: "These memorials are really important. But they're also incredibly difficult for the people who were affected by them, because it brings back the moment you got the phone call, it brings back that instant you got the news, no matter how many years go by."

Remembering is an act of support for the families of those who have passed away, according to Mark Papadimitriou, who himself lost a cherished friend in the 9/11 attacks.

Mark Papadimitriou: "I have a friend that passed away. His wife was pregnant. So now I know that his daughter is, you know, now 19. And that marks a lifetime already. And so many people have the same story. So many families were disrupted. And we just need to let them know that all those people are not forgotten."

Speaking at the Flight 93 crash site in Pennsylvania, known as the Sacred Ground, George W Bush, who led the country at the time, praised the unity and resilience the nation felt then, and contrasted that with today.

George W Bush: "In the weeks and months following the 9/11 attacks, I was proud to lead an amazing, resilient, united people. When it comes to the unity of America, those days seem distant from our own.

20 years on from that fateful day on which nearly 3,000 lives were lost, fatalities have spiralled with cases of lung complaints and cancers soaring, owing to the dust, glass, particulates and chemicals from the explosions, which settled in people's lungs. Beyond battling disease, these victims are fighting for recognition of their needs for healthcare and assistance.

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