Belgian police appeal for help in recognizing a Brussels attacks suspect - dressed in white in this picture.
Brussels - Track the latest updates amid series of blasts in Brussels.
Published: Tue 22 Mar 2016, 11:02 AM
Last updated: Wed 23 Mar 2016, 1:05 AM
Daesh was responsible for Tuesday's deadly attacks in Brussels that killed about 35 people, an online news agency affiliated with the militants said.
"Daesh fighters carried out a series of bombings with explosive belts and devices on Tuesday, targeting an airport and a central metro station in the centre of the Belgian capital Brussels, a country participating in the international coalition against Daesh," the Aamaq news agency said.
At least 35 people lost their lives as two explosions occurred in the departure hall of Brussels airport on Tuesday morning.The blasts also injured many, Belgian media said. The blasts occurred four days after the arrest in Brussels of a suspected participant in November militant attacks in Paris that killed 130 people. Belgian police had been on alert for any reprisal action.
The last flight landed at Brussels airport 8:22 local time. The airport will remained closed until Wednesday, @Flightradar24 said in a tweet.
6:00pm
Brussels passenger: Full elevator saved my life
Passenger Cedric Vanderswalm says a late train and a full elevator at Brussels airport probably saved his life.
The 20-year-old from the coastal Belgian town of Knokke was at the Brussels airport on Tuesday planning to fly to London for his job as an animator.
He says was heading to the airport's departures level but the elevator was full "so I didn't get in. I waited and I was about to step into the elevator when there was a big explosion." He says people started running, dropping their luggage.
He says "if I had taken the previous elevator, I would have been right in the explosion. My train also had a 5 minute delay, so I was lucky."
The explosion coated the left side of his face with soot and dust.
6:00pm
Witnesses describe blood, dust and chaos in Brussels attacks
More than two dozen people were killed Tuesday when bombs exploded in Belgium's capital - two at the main international airport and one on a downtown subway train near European Union headquarters. Witnesses described chaotic scenes of blood, dust and flying glass as the blasts hit transport hubs in the middle of a busy rush hour. Here are some of their accounts:
Entrepreneur Marc Noel, 63, was awaiting a Delta Airlines flight from Brussels to Atlanta when he decided to buy some automobile magazines for the flight - an act he thinks may have saved his life.
He was in an airport shop when the first explosion struck about 50 yards (meters) away, bringing down a chunk of the ceiling.
"People were crying, shouting, children. It was a horrible experience," said Noel, a Belgian who lives in Raleigh, North Carolina. "I don't want to think about it, but I would probably have been in that place when the bomb went off."
He said a second blast hit 10 to 15 seconds later.
"This feel likes war - fire engines, police everywhere," said Noel, as he and hundreds of other passengers toting their hand luggage were evacuated to the town of Zavantem.
"I was as close as I could be to the other side," he told the AP. "It hasn't happened yet. I guess it's not my hour."
5:30pm
Passengers run for life during Brussels explosion
5: 26 pm
Brussels explosion: Timeline so far
5: 15pm
The aftermath of terror attack in Brussels
5:05 pm
Witness describe the scene of the incident
5:00
Brussels attacks weigh on European markets
The deadly attacks at the Brussels international airport and at a subway station in the heart of the city weighed on European stock markets Tuesday though the scale of the retreat has been fairly muted.
4:40pm
Belgian authorities urge media blackout on blast probe
Belgian authorities urged the media to refrain from reporting on the probe into triple bomb attacks in Brussels Tuesday that killed at least 26 after some said raids were under way in the city.
"The federal prosecutor notes that certain journalists are reporting information about the investigation under way," a statement said.
"The federal prosecutor urges the press to immediately refrain from conveying information relative to the investigation so as not to harm the inquiry," it said.
4:20pm
200 flights to Brussels diverted or canceled
More than 200 flights to Brussels have been diverted or canceled after three explosions that authorities are calling terror attacks, according to the flight tracking service Flightradar24.
Scores of people are dead after two explosions hit Brussels airport Tuesday morning and a third hit the city's Maelbeek metro station.
The Brussels airport has been shut down and airport security has been tightened across Europe.
4:15
Turkey, Gulf Arab states condemn Brussels attack
Turkey and six Gulf Arab states condemned the attacks in Brussels on Tuesday that killed at least 26 people at the airport and aboard a metro train.
Both Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu and the spokesman of President Tayyip Erdogan strongly condemned the attacks, which came three days after a suspected Islamic State member blew himself up in Istanbul, killing four tourists.
4:00 pm
Royal Palace in central Brussels evacuated after bomb blasts
Belgium's royal palace in central Brussels was evacuated on Tuesday following a bomb blast at a nearby metro station and two explosions at the city's airport that left a total of 26 dead, Belgian public broadcaster RTBF said.
3:38 pm
European airports increase security after Brussels attacks
Authorities in Europe have tightened security at airports, on subways, at the borders and on city streets after deadly attacks Tuesday on the Brussels airport and its subway system.
With Brussels on lockdown and the French prime minister saying that Europe is "at war," European leaders held emergency security meetings and deployed more police, explosives experts, sniffer dogs and plainclothes officers at key points across the bloc.
3:30 pm
Facebook activates 'safety check' in Brussels
Facebook has activated its "safety check" system to help people check on friends and loved ones in the aftermath of the attacks in Brussels.
The company says Tuesday the system was put in use within hours of the three explosions at the Brussels airport and a metro station.
3:15 pm
UAE condemns Brussels attack
The UAE has condemned the terrorist attacks in Brussels on Tuesday, which claimed the lives of innocent civilians and left many people injured.
A statement released by Dr. Anwar bin Mohammed Gargash, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, expressed the UAE's condemnation of these cowardly terrorist acts which targeted innocent civilians, reiterating the UAE's determined stance and rejection of all forms of violence and terrorism which targets all races and religions indiscriminately.
Dr. Gargash emphasised the UAE's solidarity with the Belgian government.
Also read: Paris attacks suspect 'wanted to blow himself up' at stadium
Also read: Brief history of attacks in Europe
Here's how the attacks unfolded.
3:00 pm
Agencies report that death toll stands at 23. Several others are injured.
2.45 pm
Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel says 'what we feared has happened, we were hit by blind attacks.'
'This is a dark moment for our nation. We need calm and solidarity.'
Meanwhile, French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said Paris was deploying 1,600 additional police to border crossings and air, sea and rail infrastructure.
2:00 pm
Firefighters say at least 21 people dead
Belgian firefighters said at least 21 people had died after "enormous" blasts hit Brussels airport and the city's metro system on Tuesday. Confirmation is awaited.
1:50 pm
Emirates releases statement:
"Emirates flight EK183 from Dubai to Brussels today (22 March) will be diverted to Dusseldorf, due to the closure of Brussels airport. We are looking at alternative arrangements in Dusseldorf to get our passengers to their final destinations. Our return flight EK184 today from Brussels to Dubai has been cancelled, and our team is contacting affected passengers for rebooking. We are monitoring the situation in Brussels closely. The safety of our passengers, crew and staff is always our top priority and will not be compromised."
- An Emirates spokesperson
Etihad Airways flight from Brussels delayed
Etihad Airways' flight EY058 scheduled to operate from Brussels to Abu Dhabi at 10.10am (CET) has been delayed due to the evacuation of the departure terminal following explosions there earlier today.
At this time passengers are unable to access the departure terminal which has been closed.
1:35 pm
According to AP report, death toll stands at 13. Several others have got injured.
Brussels blasts 'attack against democratic Europe': Swedish PM
Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven described the blasts at Brussels airport and one of the city's metro stations on Tuesday as an attack against European democracy.
"It is an attack against democratic Europe. We will never accept that terrorists attack our open societies," he said in a statement.
1.32 pm
Jet Airways cancels flights to Brussels. Here's the official statement from their Facebook page.
1:20 pm
French president calls emergency meeting
French President Francois Hollande is holding an emergency meeting after explosions targeted Brussels airport and a metro station at morning rush hour.
The blasts came days after the arrest of the top suspect in last year's Paris attacks, Salah Abdeslam, in Brussels.
Hollande is meeting with Prime Minister Manuel Valls, Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian and Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve.
France remains in a state of emergency after the November 13 attacks, which killed 130 people. Several attackers were also killed.
1:15 pm
Narrow escape for Jet Airways flights
Two Jet Airways flights, one from Delhi and the other from Mumbai, had landed just a little before the twin bomb blasts at the Brussels airport, data with aviation website Flightradar24 showed on Monday.
Jet Airways said it will soon be issuing a separate statement on the incident.
According to the data with the website, Jet Airways flight 9W 228 from Mumbai landed at Brussels at 7.11 a.m. local time while the one from Delhi 9W 230 landed at 8.08 am.
The Delhi flight would have reached Brussels just minutes after the bomb blast at the Departure airport at 8.00 am.
1:10 pm
Netherlands boosts security after Brussels blasts
Dutch counter-terrorism officials said Tuesday they were boosting security at national airports and tightening controls on the southern border with Belgium amid a series of blasts in Brussels.
"Out of precaution we are taking a number of additional measures in the Netherlands," the Dutch coordinator for terrorism and security said, adding there would be "extra police patrols at Schipol, Rotterdam and Eindhoven and border controls on the southern border".
1:00 pm
Blasts termed as 'suicide attack'
According to the Belgian state broadcaster, the series of explosions that ripped through Zaventem airport in Brussels were part of a "suicide attack".
12:50 pm
David Cameron: We will do everything we can to help.
12:45 pm
Up to 10 dead in Brussels airport blast, according to media reports. Another blast was reported by local media at a Metro station at Maelbeek in the city, close to European Union buildings. Unconfirmed reports suggested another blast at Schuman station.
12:40 pm
Brussels subway company closes all stations after smoke detected close to EU headquarters.
Read: Brussels attack: Fresh explosions heard, metro closed
12:30 pm
Belgium hiked its terror threat to its highest level after the explosions, Interior Minister Jan Jambon said.
Read: Terror threat raised to highest level
Social media showed pictures of smoke rising from the departure hall where all windows had been shattered by the blast. Passengers were seen running away down a slipway from the departure lounge. Sky News television's Alex Rossi, at the scene, said he heard two "very, very loud explosions". "I could feel the building move. There was also dust and smoke as well...I went towards where the explosion came from and there were people coming out looking very dazed and shocked."
"The thinking here is that it is some kind of terrorist attack - that hasn't been verified by any of the authorities here at the airport."
Also read: Paris attacks fugitive Salah Abdeslam arrested in Belgium
12:00 pm
Brussels Airport cancelled all flights and evacuated the airport area, it said on its Twitter account following two explosions at the airport on Tuesday morning.
"Don't come to the airport - airport is being evacuated. Avoid the airport area. Flights have been cancelled," the airport said. Brussels Airport serves over 23 million passengers a year.
Belgian media said rail traffic to the airport was suspended. There was no immediate official comment on the cause of the attack.
WATCH: Amateur videos show the moment the blasts took place and the chaos that followed.
Condolences pour in
Meanwhile, prayers and condolences pour from across the world keep social media abuzz
Passengers evacuated after the attack on Brussels airport
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