Some Japanese companies whose employees worked at offices in the World Trade Center in New York, which collapsed Tuesday after being hit by two planes in apparent terrorist attacks, have confirmed their employees are safe, but many have yet to hear from their staff, company officials said late Tuesday.
Thirty-seven Japanese companies with offices in the collapsed buildings are continuing to try to confirm the safety of their staff, company officials said.
The Industrial Bank of Japan said a total of about 350 people working for both it and Dai-Ichi Kangyo Bank were safely evacuated before the towers collapsed.
The New York office of the Bank of Japan said it is confirming the safety of employees working for Japanese financial institutions with offices at the towers, but gave few details.
A Fuji Bank official said the bank has confirmed many of its New York employees are safe but has yet to contact several workers.
Nishi-Nippon Bank, a regional bank based in Fukuoka Prefecture, said it has yet to confirm the safety of one of three employees. The apparent attacks occurred four days after the bank closed its New York branch Thursday last week. The employees were completing remaining work at the office.
Officials of San-in Godo Bank, a regional bank based in Shimane Prefecture, said the bank has confirmed all its employee are safe.
Chugoku Bank, a regional bank based in Okayama Prefecture, said it cannot contact its branch, where 10 employee are working.
Osaka-based Okato Shoji Co. said an employee in the office at the World Trade Center told the Tokyo office, "We survived," right after the first airplane crashed into the first tower. But the Tokyo office has yet to contact the New York office again since the building was reduced to rubble.