An Israeli company has designed a parachute for workers in high-rise buildings in the aftermath of the suicide-hijacking attacks that toppled the World Trade Center.

``Within three weeks of the attack, the Executivechute was designed, tested, and ready to go,'' Anatoly Cohen, managing director of Apco Aviation said. The backpack-type parachute, which is being marketed in the United States and Japan, has a 5 price tag and weighs four pounds.

Its ripcord can be attached to heavy furniture or a special hook so that the parachute opens automatically after its wearer jumps out a window.

The military-style round canopy, as opposed to an aerobatic rectangular design, makes for a reliable but hard landing from a minimum height of 10 stories.

``It's unlikely the user will know how to do the standard 'paratroop roll' upon hitting the ground,'' Cohen told the reporters. ''But we figure a twisted ankle is a small price to pay for life.''

(Agencies)