Loud explosions ripped through the departure hall of Brussels Zaventem Airport and separately at a Brussels metro station on Tuesday (Mar 22), with reports that more than 34 people were killed and many others injured.
BRUSSELS: Loud explosions ripped through the departure hall of Brussels Zaventem Airport and separately at a Brussels metro station on Tuesday (Mar 22), with reports that more than 34 people were killed and many others injured.
Two explosions were reported to have occurred inside the airport's departure hall at about 8am local time.
Another explosion was heard at Maalbeek metro station in Brussels, about 90 minutes later, according to Belgian public broadcaster RTBF. It occurred during rush hour, close to a number of EU institutions, with black smoke seen billowing from the entrance to the station.
Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel said that the "blind, violent and cowardly" attacks on Brussels airport and the metro system were a "black day" for the country. "This is a day of tragedy, a black day," Michel said on national television.
The source of the blasts could not be immediately confirmed but Belgian prosecutor Frederic Van Leeuw said the twin blasts at Brussels airport were probably caused by at least one suicide bomber. The airport was closed until further notice, according to Eurocontrol.
Local news agency Belga reported that gunfire and shouting in Arabic was heard inside the airport before the blasts. At least 34 people have been killed, with 20 at the metro station and 14 at the airport, according to broadcaster VRT.
At Maalbeek station, at least 15 people with bloodied faces were being treated by emergency services on the pavement, an AFP reporter said.
The explosions triggered a transport shutdown in the city that is home to the headquarters of both the EU and NATO.
All metro stations were closed and bus and tram services suspended, the Brussels Transport Authority said.
The EU Commission ordered staff to stay indoors, or stay at home, following the blasts.
"Don't come to the airport - airport is being evacuated. Avoid the airport area. Flights have been cancelled," the airport said on its official Twitter account.
Regional authorities had gone into emergency mode, with all flights in and out of the airport halted, local media said. The country raised its terror threat to the highest level, from three to four, in response.
"There were two blasts in the departure hall. First aid team are in place for help," said airport spokeswoman Anke Fransen. All passengers remaining in other parts of the airport were later evacuated safely, the airport confirmed.
Sky News reporter Alex Rossi was at the airport and reported feeling the building move and seeing dust and smoke. "I went towards where the explosion came from and there were people coming out looking very dazed and shocked," he said.
In videos uploaded on social media people can be seen running from the airport's entrance, while shattered glass can be seen at the building's exterior.
Inside the terminal, ceiling tiles were strewn on the floor along with other debris including luggage and bag trolleys.
"The thinking here is that it is some kind of terrorist attack - that hasn't been verified by any of the authorities here at the airport," Rossi said.
"We heard the explosion and felt the blowback," Jean-Pierre Lebeau, a French passenger who had just arrived from Geneva, told AFP, adding that he had seen wounded people and "blood in the elevator".
"First we were kept together by the border police, then they gave us the order to evacuate," Lebeau said.
Brussels Airport is located 11 kilometres northeast of the capital and services flights throughout the world.
Airports in a string of cities across Europe swiftly announced they were boosting security, including in London, Paris, Frankfurt, Amsterdam, Copenhagen and Prague. "As a result of the terrible incidents in Brussels, we have increased our security presence and patrols around the airport," London Gatwick airport said in a statement.
Eurostar also cancelled trains running to and from Brussels.
"No trains are currently running to or from Brussels Midi," the high speed rail service said on its Twitter feed. "Brussels customers are advised to postpone, and not come to station".
FEARS OF ARREST REPRISAL
Belgium has been on high alert for terror attacks in recent months following revelations that some of the assailants in the deadly Paris attacks last November, and those who allegedly helped them, had come from the troubled immigrant neighbourhood of Molenbeek in Brussels.
A prime suspect in the attacks Salah Abdeslam was shot in the leg and arrested by police in the Belgian capital on Friday.
Belgium's Interior Minister, Jan Jambon, said on Monday the country was on high alert for a possible revenge attack following the capture of 26-year-old Abdeslam.
"We know that stopping one cell can ... push others into action. We are aware of it in this case," he told public radio.
The Belgian and French prime ministers held talks in Brussels last month aimed at bolstering counter-terror cooperation.
British Prime Minister David Cameron responded to the news by tweeting; "I am shocked and concerned by the events in Brussels. We will do everything we can to help". He confirmed he would chair a crisis response meeting later in the morning.
"Through the attacks in Brussels, the whole of Europe has been hit," French President Francois Hollande said in a statement, urging the continent to take "vital steps in the face of the seriousness of the threat.
"France which was itself attacked in January and November last year is fully engaged in that. France will implacably continue the fight against terrorism both on the international level and at home."
News and photos from Channel News Asia
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