THE father of a young Darlington woman forced to flee her flat in the shadow of New York's World Trade Centre last night recounted more details of her lucky escape.

Rachel Ward's boyfriend, James Winter, also from the County Durham town, was among the first to give a witness's account of Tuesday's tragedy to the world's media.

Their apartment lies just 150 metres from the doomed twin towers, and after the jets' impacts caused their building to shake they watched, riveted, as events unfolded opposite their home.

Late last night, Miss Ward, 29, was finally able to get through to her father, Tony Ward, a clinical dental technician, from Woodland Road, for an extended conversation to reassure her family about her and Mr Winter's welfare.

"They are obviously still very shocked," said Mr Ward.

The couple stayed in their flat for several hours, long after the electricity and water had gone off. They put wet towels over their faces to fend off the pervasive dust that was seeping in through air vents.

Eventually, a firefighter directed them down to the nearby waterfront, where a makeshift gang plank to a police launch awaited to take them to Liberty Island.

The couple spent Tuesday night on a gym floor in New Jersey, before moving yesterday to a friend's home in Greenwich Village.

Mr Ward said it was likely to be weeks before the couple, who moved to New York to work three years ago, will be able to return to their Manhattan flat.

"But they are pretty stoical and determined not to let whoever has done this win. They will not give in to it," he said.

Mr Winter, a computer programmer working on stock exchange systems, will find his skills needed, as some of the world's best finance and computing experts are now assumed lost in the rubble.

Mr Ward said he was sure the Dunkirk spirit would make the 30-year-old eager to return to work as part of the reconstruction process.

Meanwhile, Mr Winter's mother, Mary, remained worried for the couple's safety.

"I'm happy he is safe, but still a bit worried. He was in a rescue centre last night, and I don't think he will have had much sleep, no clothes to change into, no money," she said.

"I'm devastated and so worried."

Another North-East family caught up in the chaos caused by the explosions at New York's World Trade Centre last night spoke of their "sheer disbelief".

Alison Crake and her brother, Robert, who are from Stockton, Teesside, told of how they emerged from their New York hotel to be met by police with sub-machine guns.

The pair had been on a touring holiday and staying in a hotel about a mile away from the World Trade Centre.

Miss Crake said: "We were flicking through the television channels and it was like watching a movie.

"There were people walking about just covered in debris and police and military people carrying sub-machine guns.

"The feeling was just of sheer disbelief."

Student Richard Dent, 21, from Barnard Castle, County Durham, was also staying in New York.

Mr Dent, who attends Northumbria University, had visited the World Trade Centre two days earlier. He is now staying at a hostel in the city and had been due to fly back into Heathrow tonight.

His mother, Hazel, said he had been touch to reassure her he was safe.

She said: "When he was talking to me he said all they could see in the streets was this black smoke and there was a smell of burning.

"They were just stunned and could not believe what had happened. I am just relieved that they are both still alive."