People react with horror online to Brussels attacks, posting video, photos
CBC News | Posted: March 22, 2016 3:05 PM | Last Updated: March 22, 2016
Many people posted videos, photos and tweets about the Brussels attacks in Belgium
Explosions hit Brussels airport and Maelbeek subway station in the Belgian capital on Tuesday, leading many to post their eyewitness accounts on social media.
Brussels airport was the scene of two explosions that blew apart a departure lounge, causing the ceiling to cave in. Photos show the windows shattered, while the inside is thick with smoke and dust.
People ran from the airport after hearing explosions and seeing the smoke
Inside the airport, some posted images of injured people
Georgian journalist Ketevan Kardava was lining up for a flight to Geneva. She described something black and suitcase-shaped exploding in front of the Delta Airlines counter nearby.
"Everything was broken," she told the Associated Press. "We were crying, shouting, running we didn't know where."
The scene remained chaotic after the explosions, with huge parts of a departure lounge destroyed
Close to the European Union headquarters is the Maelbeek metro station. People nearby described hearing a loud thud.
Dozens of injured people surfaced from the underground metro stop. Rescue workers established an impromptu treatment centre in a nearby pub.
Outside the station, Alexandre Brans, 32, wiped blood from his face. Close by, first responders ran through the street with two people on stretchers.
"It was panic everywhere," Brans told the Associated Press. "There were a lot of people in the metro."
"It was panic everywhere," Brans told the Associated Press. "There were a lot of people in the metro."
Other metro trains were stopped because of the explosion
Soon, people were told to evacuate the subway between Art-Lois station and Maelbeek
Soldiers and emergency services poured in to clear the station and surrounding area, guiding people away
They set up a perimeter around the bombed metro station, as ambulances and helicopters continued to arrive
Back at the airport, people were stuck waiting for a bus to help them leave
Meanwhile, in the rest of the city, some wrote messages in solidarity with the victims at Brussels airport and Maelbeek station
Much like after the Paris attacks and the attack on Charlie Hebdo, people have begun tweeting #JeSuisBruxelles
The cartoon of France cradling Belgium in wake of the attack comes from the French newspaper Le Monde. It struck a chord with many in Europe.
With files from The Associated Press