A brainy Bexleyheath mum and current Mrs India UK has opened up about her horrifyingly life-changing experience as a survivor of the heinous 9/11 attacks.

Long before deciding to settle down with her family in Bexley borough, Adrija Biswas, 41, was undertaking her Masters in engineering at Columbia University in New York City.

However, things took a sharp and unfortunate turn for the worst as the bright and bustling student found herself caught up in the middle of the infamous terror attack, only one week after starting her studies in the U.S.

Mrs Biswas said she had been waiting for a train near the World Train Centre when the first plane hit.

"My train was the last train to head out of the city before it happened.

"I looked up and saw the second plane hit the South Tower with my own eyes.

A terrified Mrs Biswas was held in the vicinity of the South Tower for 45 minutes while the NYPD and FDNY desperately tried to evacuate fleeing citizens from the burning buildings, witnessing the chaos unfold before her very eyes.

"In those 45 minutes, I saw two burning bodies fall from the towers.

"I saw bosses trying to gather all their employees together, husbands looking for their wives, etc.

"A Japanese woman was next to me and she just stared in shock at a burning body stating that it was her sister," she said.

The nightmare did not end there for Mrs Biswas as the South Tower suddenly collapsed, trapping her under heavy debris.

"It was like this massive wave of dust coming towards you when the building came crashing down.

"I turned around to run and it just went dark. I was stuck in a pocket of debris," said Mrs Biswas.

Fortunately, another trapped victim managed to squeeze their way out of the debris and came back to rescue Mrs Biswas.

She was taken, along with countless others, to a hospital near Chinatown for treatment.

"My parents didn’t know I was alive until the afternoon when I went back to New Jersey," she said.

Driven by her experiences, Mrs Biswas went on to use her engineering knowledge to assist researchers at Columbia University in creating innovative communications systems for emergency services.

It was discovered after 9/11 that police and fire services were communicating on different frequencies, hindering rescue operations.

Now, the financial consultant seeks to channel these devastating life experiences into a force for change and to inspire other women to "recreate their stories", using her newfound pageant platform to spread her message.

News Shopper:

Mrs Biswas is also to receive the 'Beautiful Survivor' award by the LOANI organisation for her work in empowering women

"I wanted to join the pageant and be an example to other women.

"Now I am able to share my story and meet with other women," she explained.

Mrs Biswas will represent the UK at the upcoming Mrs India Universe pageant set to take place this November at an international destination.