Families of 9/11 victims gather at Ground Zero

The families of the nearly 3,000 people killed in the September 11 terrorist attacks once again gathered in lower Manhattan on Sunday to remember the lives lost on that fateful day 21 years ago.

Mourners were seen Sunday morning placing flags with red and blue stripes in the engraved names of the heroes who died that day 21 years ago at the memorial that now stands at the site of the former World Trade Center.

Some also carried pictures of their loved ones, with flowers in hand as they kept their remaining relatives close.

The annual ceremony was scheduled to begin at 8.30am on Sunday, with family members and friends reading off the names of the victims of the terrorist attack, which will conclude at around 12.30pm.

Six moments of silence will be observed throughout the program, commemorating when each of the World Trade Center towers was struck and collapsed, as well as the times corresponding to the subsequent attack on the Pentagon and the crash of United Airlines Flight 93.

Then on Sunday night, the annual Tribute in Light will shine over Lower Manhattan, casting an aura where the Twin Towers once stood.

Relatives of the victims looked at the 9/11 Memorial in New York City on the 21st anniversary of the terrorist attacks

A woman is seen holding a photo of a loved one killed in the terrorist attack with some flowers in her other hand

Firefighters and police officers opened the ceremony on Sunday morning

Among those expected to be in attendance at this year’s ceremony is Ken Haskell, a firefighter from Long Island who was off-duty that Tuesday morning, but rushed to the scene as soon as a Boeing 747 struck the North Tower.

‘As soon as the plane hit, I knew it was a terrorist attack,’ he told FOX News.

At the same time, his brothers, Timmy and Tommy, were also rushing tot he Twin Towers from different part of the city.

The trio had wanted to follow in their father’s footsteps, as a Marine and a New York City firefighter, Haskell said.

‘We all just had an inclination to help other people,’ he explained. ‘I think that’s really what drove us to that job.’

Haskell was still driving by the time a second plane struck the South Tower at around 9am, causing the massive structure to collapse just one hour later.

By the time the North Tower fell just before 10.30am, Haskell was driving over the Manhattan Bridge and told one of his colleagues: ‘We all know someone who just died.’

But at that point, he did not know about the fate of his brothers — both of whom died as heroes trying to save lives before the towers collapsed.

Timmy’s body was discovered four days later, FOX News reports, but Tommy’s remains were never identified. 

Haskell said he now takes solace in the fact that they died doing what they loved.

‘If those planes hit again tomorrow, they would be the first guys running back in there,’ he claimed. ‘There’s no doubt in my mind.’ 

Ken Haskell, left, was off-duty on September 11 but rushed onto the scene as soon as the first plane hit the North Tower, as did his brother Tommy. They are pictured with their mother

Their other brother, Timmy (pictured) also died in the attacks as he tried to rescue those stuck inside the Twin Towers

First responders observed the playing of the United States national anthem as an American flag was unfurled around dawn in Arlington, Virginia on September 11, 2022

The first responders stood in the heavy rain for the annual memorial on Sunday