21 years after 9/11, harrowing unseen footage of attack keeps emerging

It’s been 21 years since the tragedy of the September 11, 2001 attacks, when 19 terrorists associated with the Islamic extremist group al-Qaeda hijacked four airplanes and carried out suicide missions against targets in the US - and the world was never the same again.

Footage of the second plane flying into New York City’s Twin Tower buildings was broadcast live around the world, and memories are the day are etched into the collective mind.

And while that footage is widely known, as time progresses, lots of unseen footage that's been locked away in storage or long-forgotten, is being shared on TikTok.

While some may find it distasteful - it brings home the gravity of the world event that happened before many Gen Z viewers were even born.

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Firefighters and police officers witness a plane hitting one of the Twin Towers

Police cars and ambulances rushed to the scene of both Twin Towers that began to erupt in flames

View of the first plane hitting the World Trade Center from the highway

Shots of the buildings erupting in smoke from the blast as viewed by the Hudson River, as well as a boat rescue for victims

Montage of pictures of smokey hallways and debris taken inside the World Trade Center during the attacks

Firefighters were visibly distressed and worried as they witnessed people falling from the World Trade Center before they went inside

People see the massive amounts of smoke cascading across the sky from the Brooklyn Bridge

Dust cloud overpowering a building in Lower Manhattan not too long after the North Tower collapse

A bystander recording the aftermath of the tower collapse who was looking to help whoever they could find

A survivor thanking a shop owner for saving her life as a dark cloud of smoke can soon be seen outside

Survivors in an elevator coming to terms with witnessing the terror attack

A man was initially confused by the loud sound he heard before witnessing the first plane crash into the World Trade Center

Two women frantically packing things to leave the 32nd floor of their building, watching the second plane hit the Towers

Cops who were five blocks away from the World Trade Center were running to the scene

People in a deli were covered from head to toe in debris from the blast as they tried to recuperate and hydrate

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