The Original TIME Cover Story Photo of 9/11

On Monday’s 16th anniversary of the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center, TIME magazine has taken to Twitter to share the original cover photo from issue released following the tragic event.

The cover image shows the fallen New York City skyscrapers ablaze as smoke billows from the building and debris falls hundreds of feet below to the ground. The photo was taken in the moments before the two towers collapsed.

After the publication posted the photo from the 9/11 attack cover story, it was met with a mixed reaction by social media users. While there were some that expressed their condolences to the families who lost loved ones, there were others that lashed out at TIME for posting the image.

One Twitter user felt it was unnecessary for TIME to tweet out the photo.

“TIME magazine really enjoyed rubbing the death and destruction of 9/11 into the faces of Americans citizens…just like now,” one Twitter user wrote.

Another commenter found the post to be insensitive given the death and destruction caused by the event.

“Is this disaster porn necessary?” the Twitter user wrote. “You’re showing the moment hundreds of people died.”

During the September 11 attacks, 19 men hijacked four US commercial airplanes bound for west coast destinations. The planes were crashed into the World Trade Center buildings in New York City and the Pentagon.

A total of 2,977 people were killed in the attack.