Janice Brooks, a Londoner working on the 84th floor of the World Trade Centre's South Tower, was told to return to her desk just minutes before United Airlines Flight 175 crashed into the building on September 11, 2001. The order came after staff had initially been asked to evacuate, but were then instructed to go back because the plaza was being used for those fleeing the North Tower.
Evacuation order reversed moments before impact
Brooks, who had been in New York for less than a month, was working for Euro Brokers when American Airlines Flight 11 hit the neighbouring North Tower. In the new documentary 9/11: Days that Shocked the World, she recalls hearing a muffled thud and seeing paper swirling and dust outside her window. A man's voice shouted 'Everybody out!' and she picked up her bag, but paused to call her former boss in London.
Her boss shouted down the phone: 'F***ing hell Janice, a plane's gone into the building, get the f••• out of there!' Despite this, as staff walked calmly down the emergency stairs, they were told: 'We have been asked not to evacuate Two World Trade, the space on the Plaza is being used for those being evacuated from One World Trade Centre, please return to your office.'
Flight 175 strikes four floors above
Just over 15 minutes later, Brooks was back at her desk when Flight 175, carrying 51 passengers and nine crew members plus five terrorists led by Marwan al-Shehhi, was deliberately crashed into the South Tower – only four floors above her. She described an 'almighty thud', the building swaying, people screaming, and lights flickering as the ceiling fell down. 'All this probably only took four seconds,' she said, 'but it seemed to last a lifetime.'
Staff again headed for the emergency exit, but it was partially blocked by debris. When they opened the door, Brooks saw 'flames and darkness. The stairs had gone.'
Injuries and escape from the tower
Brooks described seeing people injured by flying glass. She told UK charity Since 9/11: 'The first woman had blood all over her arm, which was cut, almost neatly, from her shoulder to her elbow, I remember seeing the bone, and her skin just flapping around...' Another man had a cut across the back of his neck, and another had huge pieces of glass in his chest, which others were pulling out.
One woman, traumatised by her injuries, had cuts all over her face and one eye full of blood. She was waving her arms frantically and saying she couldn't see. Someone gave her water, and she washed her face; the blood in her eye came from a deep gash on her forehead. When she shook her hair, glass showered everyone.
Eventually, someone found an alternative exit, and Brooks and colleagues made their way to the ground floor. She noticed blood on her shirt and started to cry, but a colleague reassured her: 'Janice, it's not your blood, we have to get out of here.'
Aftermath and 25th anniversary
Brooks, who lived almost opposite the World Trade Centre in Battery Park, stumbled home with a colleague who wanted to use her phone. Shortly after she walked into her apartment, the first tower fell. 'There was a sudden roar, like the gates of hell were opening – then the World Trade Centre collapsed,' she said.
Euro Brokers lost 61 employees in its New York branch that day, representing nearly one-fifth of its New York workforce. Brooks, who has since returned to the UK and now works in Canary Wharf, was one of the survivors. The attacks by Al-Qaeda terrorists killed 2,996 people, and today marks the 25th anniversary. 9/11: Days that Shocked the World is available to stream on channel4.com.
