A series of explosions rocked Belgium's airport of Zaventem, just outside Brussels, on Tuesday morning, leaving 13 dead and 35 severely injured, according to local media.
Francophone broadcaster RTBF as well as Flemish broadcaster VRT also reported another explosion at the metro station of Maelbeek, close to the European institutions in central Brussels. It was unclear how many people were injured in that attack. The Brussels public transport authority said all metro stations had been closed. A hearing at the EU parliament has been suspended.
A spokesperson for the fire services told CNBC four explosions had occurred at the airport as well as explosions at different metro stations, but could not provide further detail yet. VRT said the airport bombing was a suicide attack.
The explosions occurred in the main departure hall, according to the broadcaster. Trains to the airport have been suspended, VRT said, and the airport is being evacuated.
RTBF reported that the airport had been closed, with flights being diverted to other airports.
Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel tweeted that the government was focusing its efforts on providing assistance to those wounded in the attack. The terror alert has been raised to the maximum level of 4 for the whole country.
Photos posted on Twitter show significant damage to the airport. VRT said at least one of the explosions happened near the check-in desks for American Airlines. American Airlines told CNBC in an e-mailed statement all of its employees and contractors were accounted for with no reported injuries.
Belgian news agency Belga, cited by Reuters, said shots were fired and Arabic was shouted before the two explosions.
The blasts come four days after the capture of Salah Abdeslam, a suspect in last year's Paris attacks. -CNBC
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