WASHINGTON, March 1: A “shadow” US government has been living and working in secret bunkers outside Washington since Sept 11 in case of a catastrophic attack on the nation’s capital, administration officials said on Friday.

The officials said a Cold War-era contingency plan to ensure the government would continue to operate was activated by President George W. Bush immediately after hijackers slammed commercial aircraft into the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon near Washington.

“I have an obligation as the president, my administration has an obligation to the American people, to put measures in place, that should somebody be successful in attacking Washington D.C, there’s an ongoing government,” Bush told reporters during a trip to Des Moines, Iowa.

“That’s one reason why the vice president was going to undisclosed locations,” Bush said. “It’s a serious business and we take it seriously.”

The shadow government is one of several steps the Bush administration has taken to ensure continuity in the event of a catastrophic attack.—Reuters