September 11 attacks: Victim's son recalls day world "changed forever"

Jonathan, left, lived in the US with his family including father Michael and brother Matthew

The son of a British man who died in the 9/11 attacks has recalled the moment his world "changed forever".

Jonathan Egan lost his father Michael, 51, and aunt Christine, 55, in the 11 September 2001 atrocity.

His aunt was visiting his father's office on the 103rd floor of the World Trade Center's south tower when it was hit by United Airlines Flight 175.

Mr Egan, who became a dad 11 weeks ago, has named his new son Dean Michael in honour of his grandfather.

The 38-year-old remembered his father and aunt as "proud Brits" who came from "humble beginnings" on Hull's Orchard Park Estate.

At the time of the terror attacks, his aunt was visiting his father, vice president at insurance giant Aon, for the first time in his office.

Mr Egan, then an 18-year-old student, was woken by staff at his Los Angeles college dormitory giving him the first inkling that something was wrong.

He watched the events unfold on TV with his room-mates, adding, "I saw the replay of the towers getting hit and going down and I knew that my life and the world was changed forever."

The World Trade Center's south tower collapsed 56 minutes after was struck by a hijacked passenger plane

Mr Egan, a British citizen who today lives in Manhattan, New York, spoke to his mother Anna on the phone, who "told me that my father was gone".

"I said 'Well, how do you know he's gone?' and she said 'I was on the phone with him, he said goodbye, he was 103 floors up, they couldn't get to the roof, the doors were closed... I was on the phone with him when the building went down'."

"Obviously finding out that moment that my father was dead, and just died in a terrible and tragic manner, was tough, very tough."

He added: "He got to say goodbye to my mother which was a blessing that a lot of people that perished that day weren't fortunate enough to do."

After the attacks he helped identification efforts as the closest DNA match to his father and aunt.

Mr Egan eventually completed his finance studies and followed in his father's footsteps, to become a partner at an insurance brokerage firm.

He married wife Audrey, 34, in Florida in March and she gave birth to Dean Michael earlier in the summer.

Mr Egan said the birth of his son was one of the times which made him miss his father the most

Mr Egan admitted his missed his father's presence during key life moments but remains close to his 67-year-old mother and 36-year-old brother Matthew, who has Down's syndrome.

"There's a lot of questions along the way as you go through that, dating girls, getting married, and the birth of my son is certainly the one that has made me think about and miss my father the most," he said.

He now helps a charity supporting families affected by terrorism and is a director of the memorial garden in New York for the Britons killed on 9/11.