Two hijacked passenger planes crashed into New York City's World Trade Center towers and another hit the Pentagon in Washington, DC, yesterday. A fourth hijacked plane crashed outside Pittsburgh, in what appears to be the largest terrorist attack in US history.
In New York, both towers collapsed from the collision, as did a nearby building.
Government officials have named Osama bin Laden as the most likely organizer of yesterday's attacks, which killed thousands of Americans.
At Tufts yesterday, stories circulated of personal tragedies, including accounts of one student who reportedly lost two brothers when their hijacked flights crashed into the buildings.
The first plane hit the North Tower at 8:45 a.m. As rescue workers struggled to cope with an already devastating situation, a second plane struck the South Tower at 9:03 a.m. According to official estimates, 10,000 people were in each tower. 5,000 people are visiting the WTC at any given time.
A third hijacked plane crashed into the Pentagon at 9:43 a.m.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which controls civilian flights, closed New York area airports after the attack, and later halted all flights nationwide. President Bush addressed the nation on network television from Florida, in response to what he called an "apparent terrorist attack." He again addressed the nation last evening, saying that those responsible "cannot touch the foundation of America" and that the nation will make "no distinction between the terrorists who committed these acts and those who harbor them."
Last night, CNN reported bombings in Kabul, Afghanistan. An Afghani political faction claimed responsibility for the acts. Bin Laden is believed to live in Afghanistan, where he is protected by the Taliban, a ruling party of Islamic fundamentalists.
The two planes that crashed in New York left Boston's Logan airport yesterday morning. The plane that destroyed a section of the Pentagon departed Washington's Dulles airport. The fourth plane, which crashed outside Pittsburgh, originated in Newark, New Jersey.
Americans across the nation - including Tufts students - spent the day in a state of shock, glued to their television and computer screens in search of the latest news reports and horrific images. About 1,200 undergraduate and graduate students at Tufts come from New York and the Greater Washington, DC area. Countless others have family and loved ones in these regions.
Classes will continue as scheduled today, but University officials say they will make a concerted effort to support students, staff, and faculty. "We feel that it is important to move forward as a community of learning," Tufts administrators wrote in an e-mail yesterday.
Many professors cancelled classes yesterday and one Tufts building on its downtown campus, the USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging, closed for security concerns. Tufts manages the federally-owned building.
The ranking USDA official at the center, Kathy Wilhelm, was told that only essential personnel should remain in the building. Of the 270 people who work in the center, only six stayed, according to Bachir Petithomme, a building security officer.
But on the Medford campus, the administration encouraged faculty and student organizations to continue with scheduled activities. "It is not a time to cancel everything," said Dean of Students Bruce Reitman. "We must use the structure of the calendar in place to come together and be a family."
University chaplains and President Larry Bacow held a service on the academic quad at 5 p.m. [see ?, page ?]. Tufts announced that it would keep open the campus center until 3 a.m. and staff the lobby with counseling center staff. Dowling Hall telephone operators took calls until 9 p.m. Resident assistants and proctors were available in the dorms.
The medical and dental schools in downtown Boston cancelled afternoon classes yesterday. The dental school also shortened today's morning classes to accommodate a noontime memorial service. The clinic also closed yesterday afternoon and evening sessions were rescheduled, said Donna Carrey, the associate director of student affairs.
Busy telephone lines frustrated students trying to contact loved ones in or around New York and Washington, DC. Students calling the University's information line early yesterday morning received a recording that classes would be held as usual. Later in the day, the recording featured a message from Bacow, who also sent an e-mail to the Tufts community condemning the day's tragedies and calling for unity.
Dean of the Fletcher School, Stephen Bosworth, held a meeting at 2:30 p.m. to express similar sentiments to graduate students. Both Bosworth and Bacow advised students to avoid assigning blame for the tragedy.
"I urge you to not rush to judgment about those who might be responsible for these actions," Bacow wrote in an e-mail. "In due course, we may learn more. However, even at that point we must continue to demonstrate respect and compassion for all members of our community."
Students on the Medford and Boston campuses huddled together in front of televisions all day. A radio broadcast news across the Tisch patio for most of the day.
Across Boston, colleges and universities also interrupted official activities. Schools with smaller residential populations cancelled classes, while larger schools, like Boston University, encouraged students to remain on campus.
