Tribute in Light returns to honor 9/11 victims

NEW YORK - The 23rd anniversary of the September 11 attacks is less than a week away, and New York City is preparing its annual Tribute in Light.

The 9/11 Memorial and Museum offered members of the media a first look at this year’s installation, which has become a powerful symbol of the city’s resilience while also honoring the lives lost.

The Tribute in Light consists of two beams of light extending four miles into the sky from Lower Manhattan, representing the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center. These beams can be seen from a 60-mile radius around Lower Manhattan.

The installation will illuminate the night sky from dusk to dawn on September 11.

On September 11, 2001, terrorists hijacked four planes, crashing two into the Twin Towers in New York City, one into the Pentagon, and the fourth into a field in Pennsylvania after passengers attempted to regain control. The attacks claimed the lives of 2,977 people.

According to Gothamist.com, the FDNY reached a new, somber 9/11 milestone this year, having lost 363 of its members from 9/11-related diseases, surpassing the 343 members who were killed in the attacks themselves.