September 11 transcripts released
Transcripts of emergency calls made on September 11th, many of which contain the last words of those who died in the attacks on the World Trade Centre, have been released.
The voices of at least 36 victims are included in 630 hours of telephone and radio traffic between police and those who appealed to them for help. Their publication follows the release of a 73-minute recording of firefighters’ radio communications last year.
The transcripts have been made available in the public interest following a ruling by a state judge. The Port Authority of New York, who owned and ran the towers, objected to their publication as they contain distressing conversations involving many of their employees who died.
One man cries: ‘There’s body parts all over the place. So much f****** bodies blew out of the building. There’s got to be hundreds of people killed here. There’s body parts like five blocks away.’ Another speaks about those who were jumping from the building: ‘Bodies are just coming out of the sky’.
Also included are the transcripts of concerned relatives trying to find out about their loved ones. Many objected to the publication of the conversations, but other are relieved to be able to discover more about how their family members died.
At least 2,792 people died in the collapse of the towers and the Port Authority lost 84 of its staff in the attack, many of whom were trying to help those hurt after the initial plane crashes.
