Clinton recalls visiting ground zero after 9/11: Closest 'depiction of hell' I've ever seen

Hillary Clinton said in an interview which aired Sunday that visiting ground zero in the immediate aftermath of the 9/11 terror attacks was the closest thing to hell she has ever seen.

"We saw this curtain of black smoke that was stretched across the island," she told CNN. "Occasionally it would be broken by a firefighter coming out."

Clinton continued: "I remember one image so indelibly dragging his axe. And it was as close to a depiction of hell that I've ever personally seen."

At the time, the Democratic presidential nominee was a New York senator and had rushed to visit ground zero following the attacks. She was accompanied by former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani that day.

"There's a lot that I remember from those early days and from all the days after because as an elected official I felt such responsibility to reach out and help everybody who had been effected by this terrible attack," she said.

Sunday marked the 15 anniversary of the deadly terror attacks.