THE noise of a massive explosion woke James Winter at 8.58am local time.

A split second later, the resulting shock wave shook and rattled the 30-year-old's New York apartment as flames and thick black smoke began to obscure the clear blue morning sky.

Mr Winter, of Darlington, County Durham, ran to his window and witnessed the carnage caused by the passenger jet smashing into one of the World Trade Centre's famous twin towers.

"There was smoke billowing from the south side of one of the towers. Everyone in my building was panicking and running around," he said.

Then, 18 minutes later the unthinkable happened. His apartment was again rocked by the impact of another aircraft hitting the side of the second tower.

"Everyone in my building was panicking and running around. It is just unbelievable that this is happening.

"Both towers have been taken out. I just can't believe this is happening."

Mr Winter, who until a recent job change worked in the World Trade Centre as a systems analyst, moved to New York three years ago with girlfriend Rachel Ward, also from Darlington.

The former Carmel College and Queen Elizabeth Sixth Form College student said: "It was really busy with people arriving for work in the financial district.

''People were running in all directions jumping over barriers desperately trying to get away from the area. I guess they were just desperate to escape.''

But his observations were made before the nightmare collapse of both towers.

Both their families then had to wait for several anxious hours for further news and reassurance that they were safe.

They finally received calls from their loved ones at about 10pm, after the couple were able to leave their apartment and make the nearby ferry crossing to New Jersey.

They were expecting to spend the night in a military base, from where a few telephone lines to the outside world had been established.

Mr Winter's sister, Lindsay, said: "He's really happy but me and my Mam are just so relieved. He has been trying to get through to us, but just wasn't able to."

Mr Winter and Ms Ward were able to watch the sickening collapse of the towers from their window, until the dust "made it seem like midnight", she said.

Tony Ward, father of 29-year-old Rachel, was similarly relieved.

"Words can't really describe what it feels like," he said.

Ms Ward, also a former Queen Elizabeth pupil, works for Amnesty International in New York, as personal assistant to its director.

Stephen Evans, BBC North America Business and Economics Correspondent, was on the ground floor of one of the World Trade Centre towers at the time of the attacks.

''There was a huge bang, it felt to me like somebody dropped a skip full of rubbish," he said.

"Seconds later, there were two or three similar huge explosions and the building literally shook.

''We all streamed out, some people running, some people crying, nobody really screaming.''