Brussels - Curt Lewis video

Blasts leave 'scores' dead at Brussels airport and metro station   BRUSSELS - Apparently coordinated explosions rocked Brussels' airport and a metro station, leaving "scores" dead and raising fears that attackers carried out retaliatory strikes after the arrest of a key suspect in last year's Paris massacres. The full casualty count remained unclear hours after the attacks, but various Belgian reports and officials placed it at more than 15. Belgian's prosecutor's office described the airport blasts as part of a suicide attack - the latest apparent terrorist bloodshed to hit Europe and another sign that militant network remain able to strike despite widespread crackdowns and probes across the continent. Belgian broadcaster RTBF, citing Brussels's public transportation agency, said the subway blast alone left at least 15 dead and 55 injured. "We are talking about scores of dead," said Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel without giving clearer estimates. Photos: Scenes from Brussels after deadly blasts at airport and metro station View Photos More than a dozen people were killed and several others injured after explosions at an airport and metro station in Brussels. "What we had feared has happened," he said. "This is a black moment for our country." In a lockdown order, the Belgian capital was out put on maximum terror alert and all of public transport throughout the city shut down. The fallout immediately spread beyond Belgium's borders, displaying the increased worries and security cooperation since last November's Paris attacks that killed 130 people. In France, French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said an additional 1,600 people were deployed and security was boosted at border posts and major transport hubs. London also put additional police on the streets. "We are experiencing the darkest day in the history of our country since the Second World War," said Bart de Wever, the mayor of Antwerp and the leader of Belgium's largest political party, the Flemish nationalist Vlaams Belang, the VTM broadcaster reported. At the Zaventem Airport, the blasts collapsed ceilings in the departure hall and left pools of blood amid splintered signs and abandoned luggage. The casualty figures could not be immediately confirmed, but some media reports placed the tally higher - suggesting the full count was still unclear hours after the 8 a.m. bloodshed. At least one of the airport explosions took place in the departure hall near the American Airlines check-in counter. Amateur video taken immediately after the airport attack showed streams of panicked passengers running out of the airport shortly after the explosions occurred. Large clouds of smoke bellowed from the blown-out windows of a terminal building. The airport was closed, as well as the major roadway leading to the airport. Flights were diverted to Liege airport, radio reports said. The bombing comes just four days after the arrest of Salah Abdeslam, the last known participant in the November attacks on Paris. Abdeslam, 26, was arrested in Brussels' Molenbeek neighborhood. About 75 minutes after the explosion at the airport, another explosion ripped through the Maelbeek metro station, Belgian media reported. That station, near the heart of the European Union, serves a busy stretch of E.U. office buildings, embassies and international organizations. The explosion happened toward the end of the morning rush hour, when many subway trains are still packed with commuters. The entire Brussels metro system was then closed. "We are following the situation minute by minute," Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel wrote on Twitter, shortly before the reports of the additional explosion in the metro. "The absolute priority goes to the victims and to people present at the airport." The Belgian government said it was treating the airport explosions as a possible attack. The "possibility of an attack is being investigated," the Belgian government said in a statement. The statement said the nation's top security officials planned to meet later Tuesday. Damage to the airport has been extensive, news reports said. Eyewitnesses reported a massive amount of broken glass in the departure hall. Brussels airport tweeted news of the explosions, beseeching people to stay away. One person, who was in a taxi pulling up to the departures terminal, said she felt and heard two explosions in short succession, "one further away, one closer." "We saw a few people injured, we saw the glass front of the building had exploded, glass flying around," said Daniela Schwarzer, the head of the Berlin office of the German Marshall Fund of the United States, who was leaving Brussels after a weekend conference there.

At least 28 dead in two explosions after suicide bomber targets American Airlines check-in desk at Brussels Airport as SECOND attack hits Metro station near EU headquarters At least 13 people are killed after two explosions struck the American Airlines check-in desk at 8am (7am GMT) Terrified passengers covered in blood ran for their lives after explosion sent 'shockwaves' through terminal building Another explosion killed ten people at a Metro station near the EU headquarters in Maelbeek area of central Brussels Evacuated passengers are being ferried onto buses and are being driven to a 'crisis centre' away from the airport Comes a day after Belgium minister warned of revenge attacks after arrest of Paris attacks suspect Salah Abdeslam At least 28 people have been killed and dozens injured in Brussels after a series of terror attacks struck the city's airport and a metro station near the EU headquarters. Witnesses described apocalyptic scenes with blood and 'dismembered bodies everywhere' after two blasts rocked the American Airlines check-in desk at Brussels Airport at 8am (7am GMT) in a suspected suicide bombing. At least 13 people have died and 35 were injured. Then 79 minutes later at 9.19am, at least 15 people were killed and scores seriously injured when a blast hit a Metro station just 400 metres from the EU headquarters in the city centre. At the airport, shouts in Arabic were heard before the explosions which sent shockwaves through the terminal building, shattering windows, knocking roof tiles off the ceiling and sending terrified passengers running for their lives. Samir Derrouich, who works at a restaurant in the airport, told MailOnline: 'The two explosions were almost simultaneous. 'They were both at a check-in desk. One was close to the Starbucks. It was awful. There was just blood. It was like the apocalypse.' The explosions have left countries worldwide reeling, with security placed on high alert, flights cancelled, Eurostar services suspended and France's border with Belgium shut down. Troops have also been deployed at the airport and other key locations across Brussels. The bombings come just a day after the Belgium Interior Minister warned of possible revenge attacks after the arrest of Paris massacre suspect Salah Abdeslam in the city on Friday.

Brussels attacks: Britain steps up security at airports David Cameron has said he will hold a Cobra crisis meeting after the attacks in the Belgian capital The scene at Brussels airport immediately after the explosion  Police have increased their presence at key locations across the country after a series of deadly bombings in the Belgian capital. Security has been stepped up at British airports after a wave of bombings in Brussels amid fears of similar attacks in the UK. David Cameron was on Tuesday morning preparing to hold a crisis meeting in response to the attacks which killed at least 23 in the Belgian capital. Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley, the national police counter terrorism chief, said: "Our thoughts are with the people of Brussels following this morning's horrific attacks. "As a precaution forces across the UK have increased policing presence at key locations, including transport hubs, to protect the public and provide reassurance. This is not in relation to any specific information or intelligence." Both Gatwick and Heathrow said they were stepping up security, while Eurostar trains from London to Brussels were terminating in France. Britons already in Brussels were warned by the Foreign Office to keep away from crowded places and stay off public transport. A spokesman for Gatwick said the safety of passengers and staff was the "absolute priority". He added: "As a result of the terrible incidents in Brussels we have increased our security presence and patrols around the airport." Heathrow issued a statement which read: "In the light of events in Brussels airport we are working with the police at Heathrow who are providing a high visibility presence." The airport warned of disruption to services to and from the Belgian capital and urged passengers to check the status of their flight with their airline. British Airways said one of its flights from Brussels for Heathrow departed safely at 7.40am but two later services were cancelled. Two flights making the outbound trip from Heathrow were also cancelled. The airline said it will make a decision later on flights due to depart this afternoon. Eurostar has suspended all of its trains to and from Brussels following explosions in the Belgian capital. Services from London to Brussels are terminating in the French city of Lille, a spokeswoman for the cross-Channel train operator said. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) updated its travel advice for Brussels soon after the attacks. It issued a statement which read: "You should stay away from crowded places and avoid public transport at this time."

U.S. airlines cancel Brussels flights after bombings U.S. airlines canceled flights to Brussels after bombings at that international airport halted flights, and prompted tighter security across Europe and in New York City. American Airlines canceled flight 751 from Brussels to Philadelphia. The airline said it would make new arrangements for those travelers. The airline reported no injuries to its workers because the explosions didn't occur at its check-in location in the departure hall. The airline is offering alternative travel plans for passengers booked Tuesday and Wednesday to request a refund, choose another airport or rescheduled their flight through April 5. United Airlines flight 950 arrived in Brussels from Washington Dulles at 7:01 a.m. and travelers deplaned normally at the gate, the airline said. But a second flight, 999 from Newark, was rerouted to a remote location, and travelers were deplaned. All remaining flights to and from Brussels have been suspended until further notice from local authorities, United said. "The United family is deeply saddened by the tragedies in Brussels earlier today, and our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families," the airline said in a statement. Delta Air Lines also offered to change flights for Tuesday and Wednesday through Sunday without any penalty. Brussels authorities have closed the international airport and shut down the entire metro systems after two explosions blew out the departures area at the airport and a second explosion hit a metro station. The Belgian prosecutor has said a suicide bomber committed the airport attack. France deployed an extra 1,600 police and gendarmes at borders and transportation facilities, according to Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve. In the U.S., the New York City Police Department is closely monitoring the situation in Belgium and has deployed additional counter-terrorism resources across the city, according to Peter Donald, a department spokesman. These teams have been deployed to crowded areas and transit locations around the city out of an abundance of caution to provide police presence and public reassurance as we closely follow the developing situation overseas, he said. The Transportation Security Administration didn't immediately announce stricter security measures, but officers at airport checkpoints are typically on higher alert after international incidents.