A YOUNG woman from York was one of the lucky ones who escaped the terrorist attack as she travelled through Manhattan yesterday.

Sally Baker, 21, was actually on her way to visit the World Trade Centre when rescue workers turned her back.

Her parents faced an agonising wait as their daughter tried to contact them to say she was safe.

Sally's mother, June, said today: "As soon as we saw the news we were waiting to hear from her.

"It was just a matter of waiting to see what had happened.

"She just gave us a quick call to say she was OK because it was so hard for her to get through on the phone."

Sally, from Huntington, was travelling through New York after spending the summer working on a children's camp.

Mrs Baker said: "When she has been travelling about we haven't known exactly where she was.

"She had been in Washington the day before, so I think she has had a lucky escape.

It was just lucky for her it was 9am and not any later."

Sally, who is a student at Liverpool University, had been due to fly back to the UK tomorrow. Mrs Baker said: "She will have to stay at a hostel until she's contacted the airport."

Updated: 14:37 Wednesday, September 12, 2001