I arrived at Brussels Airport at 7:50am but I forgot something so had to go check it in. It was that spot, five minutes later, that the bomb went off.
I was waiting in another line when I heard the first explosion – I turned my head towards it and it took about two seconds to sink in.
A bomb had just gone off.
The explosion itself was quite frightening; it wasn’t just a clean explosion. It had nails and glass in it so it went everywhere.
By the time I had realised it was a bomb, that’s when the second explosion hit.
I just started running. I had an iPad on the counter but I was just so unaware what was happening that I forgot it. I just ran.
It got pretty ugly very fast. There was a big curtain of smoke and people were lying on the ground. I was actually afraid they would shoot me through the smoke.
I saw some military people and I knew I had to get behind them. So that’s what I did; that was my first milestone.
I then went through the security gates because you just think of it as a safety zone; it’s a secure zone.
Everyone was evacuated to the tarmac; this was around 8:05am. It all happened very quickly.
Once we were outside, we just ran. I saw things but didn’t really take it in – a girl who had her hands pierced by shrapnel and a man with blood everywhere. And people lying down. But you’re just not aware of it. It’s weird.
Dries Valaert
Transportation was shut down so we all just hitchhiked. It was actually quite a beautiful scene of solidarity.
At this point, I was unaware what was happening on the metro; I just knew transportation was down.
I think for the people in the metro, it must have been more horrendous. I’m lucky; but I’m just sorry for those who weren’t so lucky.
Already, the atmosphere in Belgium has changed.
Normally, people of my generation are just talking about football or social media each day. But now, everyone is talking about this and there’s a real sense of solidarity. That’s been a beautiful thing; the solidarity amongst everyone.
