Mourners gather to remember victims of the 9/11 horror

19-years on after the most dangerous terrorist attack in history that killed almost 3000 people, thousands of mourners have gathered in New York to remember the deceased.

The mourners wore face masks with intimate hugs of years past were replaced by awkwardly fist bumps due to the COVID-19 Pandemic.

When the bells tolled at 8:46 in the morning which marked the moment the first jet smashed into the north tower, those gathered stood at somber attention, trying to draw comfort from neighbors required to stand six feet apart.

Outside the memorial plaza, a widow holding a picture of her husband admitted that the anxiety she normally felt on this anniversary was compounded by her fears over the virus.

A retired firefighter says the lingering effects of the virus made him think of the continued ailments suffered by emergency workers who inhaled toxic dust, smoke and fumes at the site of the attack

Nearly 3,000 lives were lost when passenger jets hijacked by terrorists slammed into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon and crashed into a field in Shanksville.

It is still regarded as the deadliest attack in US history.

Democratic challenger Joe Biden attended the ceremony at ground zero in New York, exchanging an elbow bump with Vice President Mike Pence before the observance began.

Families say it’s important for the nation to remember the hijacked-plane attacks that killed nearly 3000 people at the trade center, at the Pentagon outside Washington and in a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, on September 11, 2001 — shaping American policy, perceptions of safety and daily life in places from airports to office buildings.

While speaking at the Pennsylvania memorial, President Donald Trump recalled how the plane’s crew and passengers tried to storm the cockpit as the hijackers headed for Washington.

He says the heroes of Flight 93 are an everlasting reminder that no matter the danger, no matter the threat, no matter the odds, America will always rise up, stand tall, and fight back.

Due to the pandemic, the 9/11 National Day of Service and Remembrance organisation is encouraging people this year to make donations or take other actions from home.

[Source: New York Times/TVNZ]