The South tower collapsed at 10:05 a.m. Eastern Time. It took ten seconds for the entire tower to fall.
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September 11, 2001:
Destruction, Reconstruction, and Monuments
9-11 Photos: Attack on the World Trade Center
By Jackie Craven, About.com Guide
10:05 a.m.: The WTC South Tower Collapses
Flames engulf the south tower of the New York World Trade Center after terrorist attack
Photo © Craig Allen/Getty Images
The intense heat of the jet fuel cannot melt metal, but flames from the crash probably weakened the steel truss system and steel columns around the facade. By 9:45 a.m. Eastern Time, a witness reported that the floors in the south tower were buckling.
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- The World Trade Center Towers Before the Attack
- 8:46 a.m. ET: Hijacked Plane Hits the WTC North Tower
- 9:03 a.m.: Hijacked Plane Hits the WTC South Tower
- September 11 Photo Timeline: Smoke Fills the WTC North Tower
- 10:05 a.m.: The WTC South Tower Collapses
- 10:28 a.m.: The WTC North Tower Collapses
- The Fallen World Trade Center Towers
- Seven Hours Later: WTC Building 7 Collapses
- Two Days Later: Rescue Workers Search Through the Wreckage
- Five Days Later: Only Ruins Remain
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