Johannesburg | Wednesday
AFTERSHOCKS from the savage attacks on America are being felt around the world, with global aviation being plunged into disarray on Wednesday.
US aviation authorities closed all airports after the deadliest act of terrorism ever on American soil was carried out by kamikaze hijackers who sent three airliners crashing into the World Trade Center and the United States Department of Defence headquarters at the Pentagon in Washington.
The attacks, feared to have killed thousands, triggered a chain-reaction across the globe, stranding thousands of passengers at dozens of airports.
Carriers halted flights heading to and from the United States and announced that security had been stepped up at their airports as US military forces worldwide were put on high alert.
The disruption also affected flights to destinations other than the United States as British Airways announced on Wednesday it had suspended flights to Islamabad because of its proximity to Afghanistan.
British Airways also announced the suspension of flights to Tel Aviv, following Israel’s decision to close its airspace.
Canadian air traffic was restricted on Tuesday to flights being diverted from the United States because of the terrorist attacks, sending thousands of US-bound passengers into airports across Canada.
Reports of the number of dead are still unclear.
President George W Bush told the nation that thousands of lives were ended, though the final tally could take weeks. Some 50_000 worked at the trade center, with thousands more who visited each day.
Up to 800 people are believed to have been killed at the Pentagon building when the hijacked plane slammed into it on Tuesday, US media reported. The reports quoted an unnamed Arlington County official as giving the unofficial toll, as rescue crews continued to dig through debris following the attack that destroyed a section of the building.
A firefighters union official estimated 200 firefighters may have died. Saint-Vincent Hospital said on Wednesday it had admitted 345 people to its emergency room at its Greenwich Village location, of which five have been confirmed dead — a result of the attack on the World Trade Center.
Many of the worlds governments have sent their condolences and messages of support to the American government, but some groups have applauded the acts, saying the US government deserved the attacks.
Nigerian newspapers, whose pages were dominated by news of the events, reported that in the mainly Muslim northwest, members of the Islamic Youth Organisation of Zamfara were jubilant and announced plans for a procession later on Wednesday celebrating the attacks.
The reports could not immediately be confirmed.
The Iraqi Al-Iraq newspaper celebrated the attacks, calling them a “lesson for all tyrants and oppressors”.
The paper continued: “US leaders must expect such a lesson because they have shown insupportable cruelty towards people and that ended by blowing up in their face, destroying their symbols and making Americans weep bitter tears”. – Sapa, AFP
ZA*NOW:
World reels as New York, Pentagon burn September 12, 2001
OFF-SITE:
Guardian special report on events in New York
11