New 7th moment of silence honors victims of 9/11 illnesses
For the first time, the 9/11 Memorial & Museum added a seventh moment of silence at this year's ceremony to honor those who have died of illnesses related to their time at or near the World Trade Center site.
For the past 24 years, there have been six moments of silence: two to mark the times when the planes struck the World Trade Center towers; one to mark when a plane struck the Pentagon; one to mark when a plane crashed in Shanksville, Pennsylvania; and the two times the World Trade Center towers collapsed. Each moment of silence is followed by a bell toll.
This new, seventh moment of silence was observed at the conclusion of the reading of the names and will be a permanent part of the annual ceremony.
More than 9,000 people have now died from 9/11-related illnesses, approximately three times the number killed on Sept. 11, 2001, according to the World Trade Center Health Program.
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