Harrowing 9/11 footage captures the exact moment plane struck first tower

Warning: This article contains graphic images and video which some readers may find distressing

As the 23rd anniversary of 9/11 has passed, harrowing footage emerged that captures the exact moment the United Airlines plane struck the first tower of the World Trade Centre.

The world was united in grief on September 11, 2001, when 19 terrorists from al-Qaeda took over four planes and spread utter devastation across the United States - crashing two into the World Trade Centre in New York City, one into the Pentagon in Washington D.C, and another into a field in Pennsylvania (the intended target is believed to have been the Capitol building).

2,977 innocent people lost their lives that day.

The Manhattan skyline following the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center (Universal History Archive/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

At 8.46am Eastern Time, the first plane crashed into the North Tower of the World Trade Center, and that exact moment was captured on camera by a New Yorker.

The footage depicts a fireman standing around and assessing a job, before a loud screeching noise from a plane can be heard.

Seconds later it collides with one of the Twin Towers, bursting into ball of flames as a man can be heard screaming 'holy s**t' in the background.

Plumes of smoke billowed from the 110-story skyscraper as a fireball burst into the sky, while a gaping hole was made between the 93rd and 99th floors.

Take a look at the footage below, but a word of warning: it contains distressing scenes:

No one survived from above those floors, while hundreds were instantly killed by the impact.

Evacuation efforts were launched and TV crews set up to broadcasting the events unfold, as initially it seemed like it could have been accidental. But it would soon become apparent that this was no accident.

Just 17 minutes later, the second plane hijacked by the terrorist network led by Osama Bin Laden flew into the South Tower between the 77th and 85th floors - making it very much apparent that the US was under attack.

Tragically, 2,606 people died as a result of the two collisions - the youngest of which was two-year-old Christine Lee Hanson who was aboard the second plane.

The third plane that was hijacked collided with the Pentagon at 9.37am.

It has been 23 years since the most deadly terror attack in US history (David Handschuh/NY Daily News Archive via Getty Images)

And the fourth and final plane didn't make it to the Capitol Building, where it is believed to have been heading towards. Instead, it crashed into a field in Pennsylvania after passengers aboard the aircraft fought back against the hijackers.

Evacuation efforts were still underway in New York when both the towers collapsed less than two hours later.

Ten years later, al-Qaeda founder Bin Laden was finally located after he went into hiding, and was killed by US military in Pakistan.

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