Yorkshire cameraman recalls being knocked unconscious and forced to crawl to safety during 9/11
Paul Berriff, who's originally from Leeds and now living near Northallerton was in New York filming, he captured the South Tower collapsing
Last updated 11th Sep 2026
Today marks the 25th anniversary of the day when passenger jets hijacked by al Qaida terrorists struck the twin towers – causing both to collapse – and the Pentagon outside Washington DC.
A fourth plane seized by extremists crashed into a field in rural Pennsylvania after the crew and passengers fought back.
In total 2,977 people – 67 of them British – were killed.
Paul Berriff, who's originally from Leeds and now lives near Northallerton was in New York at the time filming, and captured tragic footage of the South Tower collapsing.
Paul had positioned himself under the South Tower and started recording fire crews, thinking they wouldn't put themselves and their equipment under a building they thought was about to collapse.
"Nobody thought that those towers were going to collapse at all."
Paul collapsed from inhaling the dust, he said: "My ears and my nose and mouth were fully blocked up with all this gungy stuff."
He remained unconscious for around half an hour, "I was laying there when the North Tower apparently came down on me as well... Everything was pitch black, I've never seen blackness like it, I could hardly breathe."
Recalling what he remembered the most, he said: "Hearing that noise of the explosion of the building collapsing and turning around and literally seeing the top of the building coming down towards me."
Paul found his camera smashed, but the footage he'd filmed survived.
"I think people should remember"
"So many people have said we should forget about it, well no. It's been the greatest events of our lifetime and the greatest events since the second world war, you shouldn't forget it."