MSU students gathered around TV sets and spent much of today getting in touch with loved ones after news spread of two apparent terrorist attacks on New York City and Washington, D.C.
Andrew Keast, an art history senior, was on his way to get a haircut when he heard the news.
“I can’t put it into words,” he said. “It’s absolutely terrible. I’m at a loss for words.”
The attacks destroyed the World Trade Center towers and seriously damaged the Pentagon.
Keast visited New York City a year ago in July.
“I walked by the World Trade Center,” he said on a day when the historic landmark no longer stands. “What if I’d decided to go this year?”
Business sophomore Anna Jacobs spent today trying to get in touch with friends who attend New York University.
“Hopefully I’ll hear from them,” she said. “Maybe the (NYU) buildings weren’t right there, but there’s a lot of smoke in the area.”
Jacobs is also concerned about her grandmother, who was supposed to be on a flight out of Pittsburgh. The Federal Aviation Administration, in a unprecedented move, canceled all flights today.
Shortly after that announcement, a plane reportedly crashed about 80 miles southeast of Pittsburgh.
Nicole Jacques contributed to this report.
For more student reaction, see Wednesday’s edition of The State News.
