Tuesday, September 11, 2001 By DAVID BAUDER
AP Television Writer
NEW YORK (AP) -- A chaotic scene of devastation unfolded on national television Tuesday with cameras catching a plane crashing into the World Trade Center and the subsequent collapse of both of the towers.
Television networks began live coverage of a morning of terrorism at the time the first plane hit the New York City landmark. With cameras trained on the smoking skyscraper, television caught the second plane crashing into the other tower, footage replayed several times.
As the terror spread, CNN showed a split screen view of the smoking World Trade Center and the Pentagon, where smoke billowed from another plane crash.
Reports spread as fast as television could detail them -- planes grounded across the country, the White House evacuated, an apparent explosion on Capitol Hill -- while commentators tried to keep calm.
''This may be one of the worst tragedies ever to strike this country,'' said MSNBC's John Siegenthaler.
A producer from CNN, Rose Arce, reported people jumping from the World Trade Center and described the chaos gripping lower Manhattan.
Cameras then caught the collapse of both of the twin towers, showing white smoke billowing throughout the streets of lower Manhattan. A shaken Ashleigh Banfield reporting on MSNBC described debris showering around.
''Oh, my God,'' a breathless Banfield said. ''It's just unbelievable.''
C-SPAN took phone calls from shaken citizens. One caller from California said: ''This is a sign to America: We think we are the strongest country and they hit us; they knew where to hit us.''
By LISA SINGHANIA AP Business Writer
NEW YORK (AP) -- Wall Street shut down Tuesday after two separate planes crashed into the World Trade Center.
Much of the downtown district, including the nearby Financial Center. It was also difficult to make phone calls to the downtown business district and throughout Manhattan.
Trading was suspended at the New York Stock Exchange, and officials were deciding whether to shut for the entire day. The Nasdaq Stock Market said it was still considering an 11:30 a.m opening, but no final decision had been made.
Other markets did close: the American Stock Exchange and the New York Mercantile Exchange.
The nearby World Financial Center, which houses the NYMEX, was also evacuated.
An apparent similar attack on the Pentagon in Washington and reports of the collapse of one of the World Trade Center skyscrapers in Washington added to the paralysis and terror already engulfing the financial district.
''The two explosions were incredible and at the point of explosions all you could see outside were personal belongings and office supplies raining outside,'' said Bob Rendine, an American Stock Exchange spokesman, whose office is down the block from the NYSE. ''We're staying here. We think it's safer to stay inside then go outside at this point.''
Business and trading in other parts of the country also were affected. The Chicago Board of Trade also suspended all trading effective, 10:15 a.m.
Around the country and world, the investment community was focused on the fate of people working in the buildings affected by the apparent terrorist attacks.
''I'm just worried about people who are there,'' said Robert Harrington, head of listed block trading at UBS Warburg's office in Connecticut.