North Wales Pioneer readers share their memories of 9/11 attacks 20 years on

That is the question we put to our Pioneer readers on the on the 20th anniversary of the dreadful 9/11 attacks.

Janet Chester recalls being at work in a hospital mortuary.

She said: "We had the little television on in our staff room and a colleague screamed out for me to 'come in quickly and look at this'.

"I will never forget watching the horror on that television set. It was like something from a film but sadly it was for real."

Wendy Rowles remembers packing her suitcase to go on holiday in Benidorm.

"When it came on the telly it was so heartbreaking but I remember how scary it was at the airport the next day," she said.

"There were police walking around with machine guns and people were being searched. There was a 10 hour delay and everyone's suitcase had been search through, even in the tunnel walking down to the plane you had to be searched by armed police and the same when coming back from Spain.

"It was quite scary. Everyone was quite worried getting on the plane."

Claire Jones was teaching in East London at the time of the horrific attacks.

She said: "At the end of school the parents told us and we all raced home. The following day in school was horrendous. Children were asking us why.

"Jumbos were flying low over the playground (we were by Canary Wharf). It turned out flights had been diverted."

"We had lots of terrified children."

Andrew R Edwards-Hughes was in chemistry class when he received a text from his sister.

He said: "I figured it was more important than the big pile of nothing I was doing in class, so I went home to watch it.

"Mr Simpkin didn’t even notice I was gone. I got home just before the first tower fell."

Sandra Jones remembers being at home when she received a phone call from her husband.

The World Trade Centers prior to 9/11. Picture: Pixabay.

"He said - 'quick put the tv on'," she said.

"It came on showing the footage of the plane going into the second tower and I fell to the sofa unable to believe what I was seeing."

Peter Jones was sat 'half watching' Sky news when footage of the first plane was shown.

He said: "I was horrified thinking it was an accident, then when the second one hit...

"It took me a while to register what was happening.

"I can still recall it as it was yesterday."

Roger Thornhil was in Curry's purchasing a sweeper.

He recalls: "All the televisions in the store were on showing the disaster. I thought I was watching a movie then I realised it was real.

"You could hear a pin drop in the store."

Corrina Parry was in Malia in Crete preparing to fly home. The horror was being shown on the big screens in bars and restaurants.

"We were told that we could only carry our passports and cash," Corrina said.

"Everything had to go in the hold of the plane.

"It was scary times, just devastating."

There were four co-ordinated terrorist attacks on the USA. Hijackers crashed planes into the Twin Towers and the Pentagon.

Passengers managed to regain control of a plane heading for Washington DC before it crashed into a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania.