Unseen photos reveal the devastating aftermath at Ground Zero days after 9/11

Smoke rises from the ruins of Ground Zero on September 17, 2001 (Picture: Ringo Chiu/Cover Images) They’re images permanently etched into the minds of billions. Smoke smouldered from tonnes of wreckage where the World Trade Center once stood while rescue workers waded through the rubble in the days following the September 11, 2001, attacks. While the aftermath was covered extensively across the media, a new, haunting collection of previously unseen photographs show the devastation at Ground Zero. A total of 147 powerful images have been released 25 years on from the attacks that left 3,000 dead. They were all captured by photographer Ringo Chiu in the days following the attacks on New York’s Twin Towers. Crews work within the ruins of the World Trade Center at Ground Zero (Picture: Ringo Chiu/Cover Images) His powerful pictures document the extraordinary scenes in Lower Manhattan as first responders and rescue workers worked amid the ruins. Images show firefighters and emergency crews surrounded by twisted steel, rubble and dust as the rescue and recovery operation continued at Ground Zero. Rescue workers attended the scene in their droves in the weeks following the attacks (Picture: Ringo Chiu/Cover Images) But away from the destruction, Chiu also captured the intensely personal impact of the tragedy on the streets of New York. Poignant photographs show candles and makeshift memorials left for those who had died, while posters bearing the faces and names of missing people appeared across the city as relatives and friends desperately sought news of their loved ones. People gathering for a candlelight vigil at Union Square (Picture: Ringo Chiu/Cover Images) Other images capture first responders at the scene and the haunting landscape left behind by the collapse of the towers. Taken over several days in the immediate aftermath of the attacks, the photographs provide a striking eyewitness record of a city experiencing shock, grief and extraordinary uncertainty. Almost 3,000 people were killed in the attacks at the World Trade Center and the Pentagon (Picture: Ringo Chiu/Cover Images) Now, 25 years on, the collection offers a powerful reminder of both the enormous scale of the destruction and the individual lives at the heart of one of the defining events of modern history. On September 11, 2001, nearly 3,000 people were killed in the coordinated terrorist attacks on the United States. Arrow MORE: The poignant Friends episode that had to be completely changed after 9/11 Arrow MORE: MI5 boss says UK now faces ‘worst of both worlds’ 25 years on from 9/11 Arrow MORE: Full list of all the victims who died on 9/11 News Updates Stay on top of the headlines with daily email updates.