GlobeSt.com national online editor John Salustri is on the scene and has confirmed that the second structure caved in at 10:25, shortly after the first building fell. Survivors of the Trade Center attack are being taken to St. Vincent's hospital and Bellevue for treatment, Salustri reports.
Reports also state that a helipad at the Pentagon has been hit by a commercial airliner that eyewitness claim was gaining speed as it approached the building. State Department officials are unofficially confirming reports that Palestinian terrorists are responsible for both attacks.
Government buildings in DC, including the White House and the Pentagon have been evacuated, as has Chicago's Sears Tower, its security and commodities exchanges and many office buildings.
In an unprecedented move, The Federal Aviation Administration has grounded all aircraft across the United States.
President Bush is reportedly en route to the White House to monitor the situation, which has evolved with lightning speed over the last two hours.
Both planes involved in the World Trade Center catastrophe--American Airlines Flight 11, reportedly hijacked after takeoff from Boston, and a Boeing 767--struck the towers' upper floors, sending up billowing smoke so thick that helicopters have been unable to airlift passengers from the top of the buildings. Witnesses on the scene say that tower inhabitants were seen jumping from upper-story windows.
All New York-area airports have been shut down and military jets are patrolling the area, creating a no-fly zone in the vicinity.
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