FROM being on a flight to Florida for a honeymoon, to being in a Warrington maternity ward – our readers have reflected on where they were when they heard the news of the 9/11 attacks on America 20 years ago today.

Sharing their experiences on the Warrington Guardian Facebook page, hundreds of readers have looked back on the day when 19 men hijacked four commercial aeroplanes on the morning of September 11, 2001, and travelled towards major US landmarks in an attack orchestrated by al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden.

Almost 3,000 lives were lost as a result of the attacks which sparked irreversible changes to the world.

Christine Whatman remembers watching the news and feeling very concerned as her son, Michael, was on a flight to Texas at the time. Michael was diverted and landed at the nearest airport safely. “Such a horrendous day we should never forget,” Christine said.

Eileen Felton hadn’t heart about the attack until her husband, who was in New York, called her to tell her he was okay.

Dave Bowen recalls being in work when his sister phoned to ask where he was. She was concerned as he had returned from New York a few days before. Dave was in the Twin Towers on August 10, just one month before the attack.

Jean Evans was watching a film about Lord Nelson when it was interrupted to broadcast what was happening. “Shock wasn’t the word.”

Siobhan Carr was teaching in a Warrington school and was told at the end of the day by the head teacher. “Parents collected the children in tears! The next day some of the children were asking if it was a film. Such a sad day.”

Anne Ramsdale remembers being at Arlington Cemetery in Washington DC. She was evacuated out of Washington to a hotel in Harrisonburg where they were told what had happened.

Gill Hilton was at work when one of her colleagues mentioned a plane had flown into one of the towers. “We thought it was a little plane and wondered how they didn’t see a big building. We listened in horror as it unfolded. We couldn’t believe what was happening.”

Margaret Brown said when she heard the news she had stopped at a Loch side café for a break where incident was being televised. "I thought it was a film ‘til I put on the car radio during the rest of my journey! Tragic loss of lives."

Doreen MacLening was working behind a bar where the landlady brought down a mini TV for staff to watch. “Couldn’t believe my eyes and I was gobsmacked when they collapsed!”

Scott Andrew Paul Kelly remembers coming from school to see something ‘horrifying’ happening in New York, thinking it was a film at first. “I asked the babysitter the name of the film and she said it's not a film, it's a news report, this is happening in real life. I didn't believe her at first until I saw the "Live, Breaking" sign at the top left side of the screen.”

Charlotte Chalmers-Norris was on the phone to clients in America when she was told a plane had hit the World Trade Centre. “We put the office TV on and watched in horror as the second plane hit. It was the most heart wrenching moment it felt like time stopped.”

Cara Keig was on a flight to Florida for her honeymoon. She landed in Newfoundland Canada and had to sit on a place for 20 hours before the school busses picked her and her spouse up and took them to a high school where they spent five days before the air space opened up again.

Tracy Griffiths had just picked up her eight-year-old son from school. She was in the kitchen when he shouted: “Mum look at this!” She ran into her living room as the second plane hit. “Will never forget what I saw that day on telly. It was a horrific and very sobering sight.”

Jen Heyes was on a plane on the way to America from Manchester. One the news reached the pilot they turned round and came back.

Al Stokes was in the maternity ward with her 24 hour old baby boy. “I was wondering what I had brought my son into. It was only when I got home and I saw the footage and was so sad for this world and all the young people in it.”

Jane Elena recalls being on a driving lesson and was confused about why people kept pulling over to the side of the road. She realised after a while they were listening in horror to the radio.”

Kris Lang was out celebrating his 20th birthday so he didn’t hear about the tragedy until the day later. He said his birthday ‘hasn’t been the same’ since.

Louise Mckay was sat in work looking at her holiday pictures as she’d just returned from New York a few days earlier. “We were on a boat waiting to take us from Ellis Island back to Battery Park and we had to leave the boat as there had been a bomb threat on Liberty Island & they needed all boats. We watched the evacuation of Liberty Island with the Twin Towers behind us. I do believe now that had something to do with the events on 911.”

Ann Fannon was in Orlando at the time and everywhere was locked down for a few days afterwards. She said people around the pool didn’t know if their family members were okay.

Paul Clarke recalls serving in Sierra Leone with the army. He seen the tragedy on the TV and didn’t think it was real to begin with.

Kayley Knee Smith was in detention at school and saw all the teachers pulling the TV’s from the science lab into the staff room.