TWO airliners smashed into the World Trade Centre in New York within minutes of each other today, causing thousands of deaths and catastrophic desctruction.

Eyewitnesses said the aircraft appeared to have been deliberately flown into the landmark building's twin 110-storey towers. The towers have both collapsed.

Two United Airlines jets, one a Boeing 737, had earlier been hijacked, according to reports.

The terrorists struck too at the Pentagon in Washington. The building is the head of America's defence and is so massive it has its own subway station. Every day people from clerks to the Chief of Staff direct a vast military force.

In New York, witnesses were just describing the horror of the first impact when another passenger plane appeared from the south smashing into the second tower as smoke and flames billowed from the first tower.

US officials said the horrifying incident appeared to be a terrorist attack. James Winter, 30, a British worker from Darlington living in an apartment close to the centre, said he had been woken by a huge bang at around 8.50am local time.

"I was in bed and there was a huge explosion. The whole building rattled and shook.

"I ran to the window and there was smoke billowing from the south side of one of the towers. Everyone in my building was panicking and running around."

Another explosion ripped through the building live on TV. Eye witness Winston Mitchell shouted: "It's exploding right now. We've got people running up the street." TV stations showed film of a second plane flying into the burning World Trade Centre.

Mr Winter, from Darlington, Co Durham, who works in one of the towers, added that shortly afterwards there was a second explosion which also shook his building.

"Everybody is saying that this a terrorist attack and everyone around here is panicking.

"It will have been really busy with people arriving for work in the financial district. It is just unbelievable that this is happening. Both towers have been taken out. I just can't believe this is happening."

Large holes were visible in sides of the twin towers. The tops of the towers were obscured by smoke.

Thousands of pieces of what appeared to be office paper came drifting over Brooklyn, about three miles from the tower, one witness said.

The World Trade Centre towers were struck by bombers in February 1993. The centre bombing killed six people and injured more than 1,000 others.