At least 30 stretchered casualties, fire engines, ambulances, the injured in luggage trolleys and chaos — that is how a tourist from Wales reported an eyewitness account on the Brussels mayhem that claimed multiple lives in the Belgium capital.
“I have seen 22 stretchered casualties,” Anthony Barrett wrote on the microblogging site in a series of tweets immediately after the terror attack at the Zaventem airport.
Barrett said he was stationed in room No.4122 of the Sheraton Hotel, opposite the terminal building. He said he was using twitter and Whatsapp to report the incident as he was unable to make any calls.
“Incident at Brussels Airport. Two loud ‘crumps’ like furniture being moved in the hotel room above me. People fleeing the terminal building,” he tweeted shortly after the attack.
“I don’t know what has happened but there has clearly been some kind of incident,” he wrote in bewilderment.
In the next tweet, Barertt mentioned the evacuation at the airport and the arrival of the police and ambulances.
“Police now seem to be evacuating the airport...Fire engines and more ambulances arriving on the scene at the Brussels Airport,” he tweeted.
“From my hotel room, I can see one person lying on the ground...I can see someone being rushed away on a stretcher.”
He said that he saw injured “being taken to ambulances on luggage trolleys”. He said that rescuers used the hotel “as an evacuation and casualty centre” as “bomb dogs” were also employed “to sweep the hotel” in apprehension of hidden explosives or terrorists.
Barrett also posted photographs of the airports that he apparently clicked from his window in the aftermath of the carnage that came months after an Islamist terror attack in France killed 130 people.
Who said what
I am shocked an concerned by the events in Brussels. We will do everything we can to help. I will be chairing a COBRA meeting on the events in Brussels later this morning.
David Cameron - British PM
I strongly condemn these hateful attacks. Our thoughts go out to the victims and their families. We stand united against terrorism.
Charles Michel - Belgian PM
I express my full solidarity with the Belgian people. Through the Brussels attacks, the whole of Europe has been hit.
Francois Hollande - French President
Belgium is again hit by cowardly and murderous attacks. Our heart goes out to the victims and their families and the Netherlands is ready to our southern neighbours, in any way, and also to help support to offer.
Mark Rutte – Netherlands PM
My condolences to the families of the <div data-style="display: inline !important;"><div data-style="display: inline !important;">victims and solidarity with the <div data-style="display: inline !important;"><div data-style="display: inline !important;">Belgian people – when terror strikes, it <div data-style="display: inline !important;"><div data-style="display: inline !important;">strikes us all.