Suddenly, the entire skyscraper shook with the impact
I will never forget that morning of July 28, 1945. I was working in the Empire State Building when suddenly the entire skyscraper shook with a terrible impact. We didn't realize what was happening - there was a dense fog all around. When I looked out the window, I saw an incredible sight: there was a huge hole in the north side of the building, between the 79th and 80th floors. Later we learned that an American B-25 bomber had crashed into the skyscraper. Panic gripped everyone around us. People were screaming, trying to get out of the building. I was helping my colleagues down the stairs when I heard a terrible rumble - it was one of the plane's engines falling down the elevator shaft. Only later did we learn about the scale of the tragedy. 14 people died - three crew members and 11 people in the building. About 24 more were injured. I still thank fate that I was unharmed. The damage was enormous - about a million dollars. A hole of 6 by 6 meters was left in the wall. But the most amazing thing is that the structure of the building survived.