A BURY girl witnessed a shocking scene which shook the world this week.

Twenty one-year-old Jenny Milne watched in disbelief as the second hijacked plane smashed into the World Trade Centre, bringing murder and mayhem to New York

Jenny, of Limefield Road, was staying in an apartment just three miles from the scene of the unprecedented terrorist attacks.

She was on the rooftop of the apartment block and saw the Boeing 757 smash into the south tower of the world-famous building, erupting into a huge fireball.

Speaking on the phone in New York to the Bury Times, Jenny said: "I saw it hit, but it took a few seconds until the sound waves travelled. It was a real JFK assassination moment. I'll never forget it. It was like a scene from the film Independence Day."

Jenny, a former pupil of Derby High School, arrived in New York on July 9 on a work placement scheme she had arranged at the Fifth Avenue bookstore Barnes and Noble.

She had just graduated from Manchester University where she studied theology.

Because she does not work on Tuesdays, she was still in bed when the first hijacked plane flew into the north tower of the World Trade Centre at 8.58am. "My friend came rushing in to tell me that the TV news had reported a plane crashing into the building. At first we thought it was an accident and went running up to the roof to see for ourselves.

"That's when we saw the second plane hit and realised it was terrorism. We were just stunned into silence; we didn't understand what was going on.

"Moments later a fleet of planes flew over and we thought they were terrorist bombers, but they were US military planes."

Jenny spent the rest of the day glued to American television for the latest news on the terrorist strikes. She managed to phone her brother-in-law, Justin Straccia, at his home in Howe Lea Drive, Bury, to let him know she was safe.

But she has still not had chance to speak to her parents, David and Pam, who were not due to return from a holiday in Corfu until today (Fri Sept 14th).

Jenny's apartment block was also put on evacuation alert because it was close to the Empire State Building and there were fears that it too might be a target.

"The atmosphere here is really eerie," she said. "The streets are empty of traffic and there's still smoke coming from the rubble.

"I always regarded the World Trade Centre as a beautiful building. In fact I had planned to go to the bar at the top of it on Wednesday night with some friends.

"I never imagined I would see it collapse in front of my eyes killing thousands of people."

Bury's own Book of Condolence has been opened.

Mayor, Councillor Paul Nesbit, was the first to sign the book at Bury Town Hall. Other copies are being placed at: Bury Central Library; libraries in Prestwich, Radcliffe, Tottington, Ramsbottom, Unsworth and Whitefield; Bury Museum; council offices in the Longfield Centre, Prestwich and Whittaker Street, Radcliffe.

Today (Fri Sept 14) at 11am, the people of Bury are being asked to observe a three-minute silence due to take place at local authority buildings across the borough.