On 11 September 2001, America experienced one of the worst catastrophes in history. Everything was going on as normal and people were going on with their everyday routines. But soon after, their lives took a turn for the worst.
The country got attacked by Al-Qaeda terrorists as they hijacked four commercial airlines. These included American Airlines flight 11 and flight 77 and United Airlines flight 175 and flight 93. Two of these four planes crashed into the World Trade Center, one flew into the Pentagon, and the other hit a field in Pennsylvania.
Once the attacks subsided, the country had already incurred immense damage. The twin towers had completely collapsed and the Pentagon also took a major hit. Overall, the effects of this attack can be experienced to date. But other than all the economic and financial issues America faced, one of the worst things about this whole incident is that the country lost precious lives.
A large number of people were working in both Twin Towers and the Pentagon. Many of whom ended up losing their lives with even more injured. Passengers from the 4 flights also got killed. So if you wanna know the statistics and numbers of those who passed away as a result of the attacks, then look no further. Here is a detailed overview of everything that happened and how many people died on 9/11.
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How Many People Died On 9/11?
The exact number of people who died is not 100% known but the official number is 2996 including the terrorists and 2877 excluding them. These 19 terrorists not only took the lives of innocent people but also ended up killing themselves. This act is also known as a murder-suicide. The genius behind this attack was the infamous Al-Qaeda leader, Osama Bin Laden who was later killed by the US forces.
The majority of the numbers in the death toll came from the World Trade Center in New York. This is the place where the first plane hit. In total, two planes crashed into the twin towers. As soon as the first flight crashed, everyone inside it including the passengers, crew, and terrorists died immediately. After the second plane hit, the buildings started to burn and eventually collapsed. 2753 people in total lost their lives from this attack out of which 1106 aren’t yet identified.
The third plane flew into a wall of the Pentagon and caused it to collapse. It also ignited a huge fire which the firefighters were only able to put out days later. A total of 189 people passed away, 64 from the flight and 25 from the building. 106 were left injured, many of whom suffered from severe burns.
The trajectory of the fourth flight, which was flight 93 would have been the same as the first three. It was also headed in the same direction to attack some significant buildings. But, it is suspected that the people who were on board got to know about the attacks. The civilians and the terrorists had a struggle and the plane ended up crashing in a field in Pennsylvania. All 44 people who were on the flight lost their lives.
How Many Firefighters Died?
In the total death toll, it’s not just the regular civilians that passed away from the attacks. It also includes firefighters and other people from the emergency forces that put their lives in danger to save others. Without them, the number of people we lost would have been much higher.
They went to rescue those stuck in the buildings or under all the rubble and helped them safely get out. But unfortunately, a few of them ended up losing their own life in the process.
Out of all the emergency workers, the highest number of deaths were of the firefighters. In total, 343 firefighters died that day, either by getting crushed by the collapsing buildings, from inhaling smoke, or from some other reasons.
In total, 9000 members were sent from 75 firehouses. And out of those 75 firehouses, at least one person from each lost his life including some lieutenants and chiefs. Not only were they working in such intense conditions, but they also had heavy loads of equipment on their back. Other than that, 23 NYPD officers, 37 Port Authority officers, 8 medical technicians, and paramedics, etc., also died an unfortunate death.
How Many Women And Kids Died?
The ratio of men and women in the death toll from the 9/11 attacks is 3:1. Clearly, the number of men who died is more. But quite a lot of women, including those who were first responders, also passed away.
In 2002, the death certificates of 2726 people were filed out of which 623 were females. 8 kids who were on the flights that attacked The Pentagon and the Twin Towers also ended up dying. Other than that, a huge number of kids lost at least one of their parents.
Health Issues Caused From The Attack
The 9/11 tragedy not only caused emotional and economical distress, but its aftereffects were equally worse. Even years later, people who experienced the attacks firsthand or were living near the area where everything happened, are facing health conditions.
A lot of the first responders who helped rescue people that day have also passed away. The number of deaths of firefighters who worked on ground zero that day stands at 343 at the moment. Experts have even said the death toll of those who died after the attacks can surpass the death toll from the day when the tragedy took place.
Depression and PTSD are most often seen among a lot of survivors of the attacks. An increased rate of diseases like ASTHMA and GERD has also been noticed. The most common reason behind this was inhaling the smoke from the air polluted by the harmful gases and materials that got released from the rubble of the buildings that collapsed.
In total, 4600 plus people have died from the aftereffects of the attack. Most of these deaths were from lung conditions and cancer. Most commonly, skin and prostate cancer. An even higher number of people have developed some type of illness because of exposure to polluted air.
Conclusion:
More than 20 years after that horrific incident, America still hasn’t fully recovered from the impact of the attack. The lives of thousands of people were destroyed that day. Not just the victims but their family members also lost everything. The government did provide compensation to the families, but nothing can measure the life of a loved one. The incident also significantly changed the future of the country and also ignited a fit of deep anger and a sense of revenge.
