Horror of 9/11captured by audio files

NEWLY posted audio files depict the horror of 9/11 unfolding in the sky as air traffic controllers struggled to follow the faint tracks of hijacked planes, fighter jets tried in vain to chase them down and a flight attendant made a desperate appeal for help.

The sound files add a layer of emotion to previously published transcripts, as puzzlement and frustration seeps into the voices of controllers, military commanders and even pilots watching the attacks from the sky.

There is shouting and ringing phones in the background — the soundtrack usually omitted from written transcripts.