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Brussels: Eyewitnesses describe their experiences at airport and Metro after explosions

Eyewitnesses have described “chaos” as they ran from the sound of explosions during suspected terrorist bomb attacks in Brussels.

At least 21 people were reportedly killed and many more injured after attacks on the main airport and the Metro system in Brussels.

Here’s what people on the ground, at the airport and the Metro, experienced.

Zach Mouzoun, who arrived on a flight from Geneva about 10 minutes before the first blast, told BFM television that the second, louder explosion brought down ceilings and ruptured pipes, mixing water with blood from victims.

“It was atrocious. The ceilings collapsed,” he said. “There was blood everywhere, injured people, bags everywhere. We were walking in the debris. It was a war scene,” he said.

Jef Versele (40) from Ghent, Belgium, was two or three storeys above the source of the explosion but he said many people around him were hurt.

“I was on my way to check in and two bombs went off – two explosions. I didn’t see anything. Everything was coming down. Glassware. It was chaos, it was unbelievable. It was the worst thing.”

“People were running away, there were lots of people on the ground. A lot of people are injured.

“The bomb was coming from downstairs. It was going up through the roof. It was big. About 15 windows were just blown out from the entrance hall,” he added.

Jordy van Overmeir was waiting in the baggage area after having just landed at the airport from Bangkok when the explosion took place. He spoke to Sky News.

“I got my luggage and then all of a sudden I heard a loud explosion – this boom. Initially I thought it was the sound of a suitcase falling down… At this point I saw all these policemen running around, shouting and saying ‘there was an explosion’.

“Then I came outside of the airport on the parking lot and there I saw people with head wounds, people crying, more blood on the road and glass everywhere.

“There was a lot of panic, with people running around. Policemen, military everywhere. There were ambulances going around. People seemed really shocked … Everyone seems very shocked and very sad.”

Metro traveller Evan Lamos posted a picture of passengers climbing from his train into the tunnel on social media.

Bart van Meele, who lives in Belgium but is from the Netherlands, had planned to take a 30th birthday trip to Milan and had passed through security in the terminal when he heard an explosion.

“One of the explosions I heard, and then afterwards people started running. It’s OK, I’m very calm but it’s a bit crazy. You never really think it would happen to you but it’s OK.

“We are all next to the airport, there are a lot of people here. I was inside the terminal, and then people started running very, very fast and then it was quiet for a time and then again they started running and it took a while before we got any information.”

Denise Brandt, an American woman interviewed by Sky television.

“I knew it was an explosion because I’ve been around explosions before. I felt the explosion, the way it feels through your body. And we just looked at each other and I said ‘Let’s go this way.’

“There was just this instinct to get away from it. Then we saw people running, crying, toward us. So I knew we were going in the right direction and away from it. ”

Another metro passenger, who spoke to Belgian broadcaster RTBF

“We left Maelbeek station towards the centre at around 9.07, 9.10, when we felt an explosion which appeared to come from the front of the train.

“The lights went off, there was panic given what happened at Brussels airport.

“The doors of the train were forced open to get off the train. There was a lot of smoke. We left via Maelbeek station. The glass doors were blown out. The explosion must have been violent.”

Metro commuter Alexandre Brans (32)

“The Metro was leaving Maelbeek station for Schuman when there was a really loud explosion. It was panic everywhere. There were a lot of people in the Metro.”