Belgium: Explosions Strike Brussels Airport, Metro Station

Two explosions hit the Brussels airport Tuesday morning while another explosion struck the Maelbeek Metro station, near EU headquarters an hour later.

The two terror attempts killed 34 people and injured scores of others. According to a provisional toll, the airport blasts killed 14 people and injured 81, while 20 people lost their life in the metro station where 55 were injured.

The two blasts at Brussels Airport reportedly hit the American Airlines check-in desk in what is suspected to be a suicide bombing. The blasts sent shockwaves through the terminal building, shattering windows and knocking tiles off the ceiling.

Flights from and to the airport have been cancelled until further notice. Authorities have also suspended train traffic to the airport as well as all public transport in the capital as a precautionary measure.

Instructions have been also given to people stay at home and avoid gatherings.

Security level has been raised maximum after the attack. Other airports in the EU block have also stepped up security measures.

Belgian security forces have been on the alert since the Paris attacks of November 13 and mainly following the arrest on Friday of Salah Abdeslam, a suspect in the Paris attacks who had been on the run for four months.

Belgian Interior Minister Jan Jambon told reporters that since the arrest of Abdeslam, the country has been on alert, bracing up for possible retaliation attacks.