Today marks 20 years since a series of four coordinated terrorist attacks took place in United States, killing nearly 3,000 people.

Two of the hijacked planes were flown into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City, a third plane hit the Pentagon just outside Washington, D.C., and the fourth plane crashed in a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania.

Among those killed in the incident on September 11, 2001, were selfless emergency service workers who lost their lives saving others.

Some 9,000 brave firefighters from 75 different fire houses were deployed to help battle the flames.

How many firefighters died in the 9/11 attacks?

In total, 343 firefighters from the New York City Fire Department died during the September 11 attacks.

The victims included several chiefs and lieutenants.

Sixty police officers were killed during the attacks, while eight members of the emergency services were also victims.

Since the attacks, over 220 more firefighters have died of illnesses related to the event.

In 2018, the president of the UFA told the BBC that roughly one in eight firefighters who were at Ground Zero had since been diagnosed with cancer.

A study published in 2019 found that 9/11 first responders have an elevated risk of certain cancers, including a roughly 25% increased risk of prostate cancer, a doubling in the risk of thyroid cancer, and a 41% increase in leukemia compared to the general population.

An estimated 400,000 people were exposed to toxic dust and other debris when the twin towers were reduced to rubble, according to the New York City website.

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In the aftermath of the attack, the air was full of asbestos, lead, and pulverized concrete, which causes silicosis – all of which victims and those who came to their aid would have been breathing in.

In 2019, the US Senate voted to extend a medical compensation fund for the first responders, volunteers, and survivors that was due to expire last year.

Future payouts to 9/11 victims and their families would have been cut by as much as 70%.

In a 97-2 vote, the Senate passed a bill to continue compensation payouts through to 2090.

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