An Oxfordshire businessman in New York said the city was in shock and covered in a sheet of dust similar to the aftermath of a volcano.

David Hadfield, 43, of St Helen's Mill, Abingdon, was eating breakfast in a Manhattan hotel two miles from the World Trade Center, when the first plane crashed into one of its twin towers.

Mr Hadfield, in charge of sales for an American software company, described the atmosphere as yesterday's events began to unfold.

He said: "I was having breakfast and there was a big rumble.

"It was like a Californian earthquake. But there was more noise than shaking, so I realised it couldn't be that.

"Everyone ran outside, but you couldn't see anything, so I ran to my room and switched on the television. Suddenly all the channels were showing live TV of the first building.

"The next minute we saw the second plane coming in and we all heard a second rumble.

"The real noise was when the building collapsed. New York has big canyons of buildings and the noise was phenomenal."

Mr Hadfield said most New Yorkers at first carried on with their daily business.

He said: "It was unreal. People weren't panicking and were out in Times Square watching the scenes on big TV screens. It was very calm.

"It was a sense of business as usual. My hotel sent me a message which said: 'Due to the unfortunate situation unfolding today, we are facing challenges with staffing and will be unable to clean your room this afternoon'!

"People are still in shock, but already it's starting to turn a little bit to anger, especially as people see pictures of Palestinians celebrating."

"Fighter planes are flying overhead and to all intents and purposes, the city is completely shut off. I can't leave."