Rescue and security teams arrived on the site of the blast at a Brussels metro station on 22 March, public broadcaster RTBF said quoting the transport operator STIB. The metro station hit by the explosion was Maelbeek, close to European Union institutions. RTBF said 55 people were wounded, 10 of whom were in a critical condition.

Brussels explosions LIVE UPDATES: 13 dead after blasts at Zaventem airport and Maalbeek Metro

Before the metro blast, a suicide bomber blew himself up at Brussels airport killing several people, according to public broadcaster VRT. The blasts at the airport and metro station 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.