“9/11 will always be a day that represents humanity at its worst, and humanity at its best”, Colleen Bell, Ambassador of the United States to Hungary said. At the commemoration held outside the US Embassy, Minister of Interior Sándor Pintér also delivered a speech.
It was fifteen years ago on this day that American Airlines flight 11 crashed into the World Trade Center, leaving almost 3,000 people dead by the end of the day. “A day when many people experienced senseless violence and tragic, unspeakable loss, but when all of us witnessed the heroism, the generosity, and the compassion that represents the utmost of human good”, Colleen Bell said.
She pointed out: by coming together, we renew our strength to move forward in the face of both old and new challenges, and we come together to invigorate our common values.
The Ambassador also said that sixty law enforcement officers, 343 firefighters, and eight paramedics lost their lives in the rescue effort, and they, too, are remembered on this day.
Interior Minister Sándor Pintér stressed in his speech that 11 September weighs heavy upon countries around the world, and we must prevent a similar incident from happening again. We must unite our forces to stop terrorist organisations from jeopardising democracy.
He added: the democracies of the world must give an adequate response through international cooperation, and by making available the legal framework that is necessary for prevention. At the same time, the intelligence services must keep track of any changes, and must prevent terrorist attacks. “The trust of our citizens, and the blood of our heroes compel us to do so”, he said.
Disaster Management Director General Tibor Tollár said that the civilian population of a country was attacked which was not at war.
Retired New York City Fire Chief Dan Daly, who served at the World Trade Center as part of a first response unit said at the event that upon his arrival at the site, there was dark smoke in the sky, and people were covered in blood and dust. As firefighters, they attempted to rescue people with small manual instruments. While he personally did not find any survivors, 17 people were rescued alive from under the rubble. He stressed: they brought fifteen thousand people to safety, and as a result, this is one of the most successful rescue operations in the history of the United States.
(MTI)
