1993 World Trade Center terror bombing attack | Original Eyewitness news coverage

Monday, February 26, 2024

1993 World Trade Center bombing | Original Eyewitness News coverage

Monday marks 31 years since the 1993 World Trade Center bombing.

LOWER MANHATTAN (WABC) -- Monday marks a grim anniversary in New York City history: On Feb. 26, 1993, shortly after noon, terrorists set off a homemade bomb in the parking garage beneath the World Trade Center's Twin Towers.

Six people were killed, including a pregnant woman, and more than 1,000 were injured in the massive explosion and smoky aftermath. The towers were shuttered for weeks, and in 1995, a memorial was dedicated to the victims in Austin Tobin Plaza at the World Trade Center.

Almost nine years later, the Twin Towers were destroyed on 9/11, claiming almost 3,000 lives that day, a toll that continues to mount from diseases related to the attack. A small part of the memorial for the victims of the 1993 bombing was discovered in the ruins of the complex.

Above, find a comprehensive overview of our news coverage that day, and below, individual segments that tell the story of the terror that shocked the city 31 years ago.

Watch archive footage from WABC/Eyewitness News showing survivors sharing their experiences during the 1993 World Trade Center bombing.

Survivors and rescuers endured nightmarish experiences inside the towers, from school children trapped on a dark and smoky elevator for five hours to rescuers desperately digging through rubble in the parking garage, the epicenter of the blast, to find survivors.

One survivor called the towers a "death trap," noting how quickly smoke reached the top of the complex. People smashed windows for air, and even called into TV stations with desperate pleas for help.

Watch archive footage from WABC/Eyewitness News showing the health emergencies people endured during the 1993 World Trade Center bombing attack.

Most of the victims injured in the massive explosion suffered smoke inhalation, which caused even bigger problems for those with existing conditions like emphysema.

Hospitals received an enormous influx of patients like they'd never seen - as many as six victims were packed into a single ambulance.

Here are photos from that fateful day: