Sixteen years ago today, the world was shocked when almost 3,000 people were murdered by terrorist hijackers. TIME photo editor Patrick Witty rushed to the World Trade Center to document the event. He caught this iconic image of the crowd's expressions as the South Tower collapsed.
When asked why he chose to turn his lens, a Leica M6 loaded with black-and-white film, away from the tower, Witty said it was due in part to turn away from the chaos in front of his eyes.
"I could no longer bear seeing bodies falling to the ground. I turned around and saw a sea of faces that truly captured what it was like to be there. Everyone, including myself, started running," he told The News in a previous interview.
Twelve years later, Witty turned to social media for help in identifying the people in the picture. The response helped him to put names on all six people in the front of the photo. -via reddit
(Image credit: Patrick Witty)