Trade Centre Victims Stream to Hospitals
Victims from the attack on the World Trade Centre -- many suffering from
extensive burns -- began arriving at hospitals in New York City about an
hour after two planes slammed into the twin towers, witnesses have said.
``Hundreds of people are burned from head to toe,'' said Dr Steven Stern at
St. Vincent's Hospital in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of lower
Manhattan.
About 50 or 60 doctors and nurses were standing in scrubs and uniforms
waiting for the next wave of ambulances to come in. The first wave arrived
around 10 a.m. EDT, doctors said.
The entire entrance to the emergency room was lined with stretchers covered
with white sheets.
Doctors said the victims mostly had burns.
``So far we've received a few patients, mostly second-degree burns,'' Dr.
Gary Fishman at St. Vincents said. ``We are expecting the brunt of the
people to arrive soon.''
Most of the early patients were being sent to New York University's Downtown
Hospital and to St. Vincent's.
At about 8:45 a.m. EDT (1.45 Irish time), a plane struck one the north tower of the landmark complex in lower Manhattan, and the building was soon engulfed in flames.
Moments later a second plane struck the south tower.
Both towers of the complex collapsed, the first falling about 75 minutes
later and the second crashing half an hour after that. The entire south end
of Manhattan was engulfed in smoke and airborne debris.
``The whole of lower Manhattan is coated in half an inch of dust,'' Reuters
reporter Daniel Sternoff said.
People were fleeing the area in a panic.
At St Vincents, hospital staff appealed for blood donors in the street,
Reuters reporter Ian Driscoll said. The line to give blood was over 100
people long.
``We expect smoke inhalation, trauma, and burns,'' Dr. Bernd Reisbeck said.
``I expect we will be working non-stop for at least the next 24 hours.''
