Memorial ceremonies are underway across the United States on September 11, marking 25 years since the terrorist attacks that claimed 2,983 lives.
The main remembrance ceremony began at 08:30 EDT at the National September 11 Memorial in Lower Manhattan, New York, where families are gathering to read aloud the names of those who were killed in the attacks.
US Vice President JD Vance is attending the ceremony in New York, alongside all three living former US presidents: Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama.
The ceremony features six moments of silence corresponding to key moments of the attacks. They mark the times when each of the two World Trade Center towers was struck, the moments when the towers collapsed, as well as the attack on the Pentagon and the crash of Flight 93.
This year, a seventh moment of silence has been introduced at the end of the name-reading ceremony. The additional moment will become a permanent part of the annual remembrance ceremony.
A separate commemoration is also being held at the Pentagon, where US President Donald Trump is scheduled to address the nation and pay tribute to the victims of the attacks.
The day’s commemorations will continue into the evening in New York. The Tribute in Light installation will once again project two beams into the night sky above Lower Manhattan, symbolising the Twin Towers that were destroyed in the attacks.
Landmarks across New York City and elsewhere in the country have also been invited to illuminate their facades in blue from dusk until dawn as part of the nationwide remembrance.
