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Brussels Attack: Death Toll Rises To 30

The death toll in explosions that tore through the departure hall of Brussels airport on Tuesday morning has been put at 30. The recent figures … Continue reading Brussels Attack: Death Toll Rises To 30


Brussels-AirportThe death toll in explosions that tore through the departure hall of Brussels airport on Tuesday morning has been put at 30.

The recent figures were confirmed by authorities which said 230 persons were also injured.

An hour after the explosions, a second blast struck a metro station in the capital, the Belgian public broadcaster RTBF said.

ISIS has claimed responsibility for the attack.

The attacks came four days after Salah Abdeslam, the main suspect in the Paris attacks, was captured in Brussels.

The Belgian government has confirmed casualties at the airport but has given no numbers. The cause of the explosions is unknown.

Belgium has now raised its terror threat to its highest level.

The Belga agency said shots were fired and there were shouts in Arabic shortly before the blasts at the airport.

Pictures on social media showed smoke rising from the terminal building through shattered windows and passengers running away down a slipway, some still hauling their bags.

Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel said on his twitter feed: “We are following the situation minute by minute. Our priority concern is for the victims and those present in the airport.”

Brussels airport said it had canceled all flights and the complex had been evacuated and trains to the airport had been stopped. Passengers were taken to coaches from the terminal that would remove them to a secure area.

Video showed devastation inside the departure hall with ceiling tiles and glass scattered across the floor.

RTBF said the metro station hit by the explosion was close to European Union institutions. Authorities closed all metro stations in Brussels, but there were no details immediately available of any casualties in this second incident of the day.