Witnesses described scenes of horror following the blasts on Tuesday morning.
Dozens of people have been reported dead and some 170 more reportedly injured after explosions tore through an airport terminal and a metro station in Brussels, Belgium on Tuesday morning.
At least 30 people are believed to have been killed in two blasts. On an ISIS-affiliated website, the terrorist organization reportedly took responsibility for the attack late Tuesday morning.
Windows at the Brussels Airport are shown blown out from the explosion, one of two that rocked the European capital on Tuesday. (Getty)
At least one explosion was reported near the American Airlines desk at the main airport terminal in Brussels shortly after 8 a.m. local time (3 a.m. ET). Belgian media reported that witnesses heard gunshots and shouting in Arabic before the blasts.
Read: Paris Terror Suspect On The Run Arrested in Belgium: 'We Got Him'
Zach Mouzoun, who arrived at the airport on a flight from Geneva just 10 minutes before the first explosion, told BFM television: "It was atrocious. The ceilings collapsed."
Number of dead and wounded rising in Brussels. Live coverage: https://t.co/53Zfi3TAL5 pic.twitter.com/3UXxFtU5VV
— New York Times World (@nytimesworld) March 22, 2016
He continued: "There was blood everywhere, injured people, bags everywhere. We were walking in the debris. It was a war scene."
Footage taken outside the airport shows people fleeing from the buildings.
Marc Noel, 63, was about to board a Delta flight to Atlanta to return to his home in North Carolina when he heard an explosion 50 yards away, the Associated Press reported.
Witnesses describe explosions in Brussels: https://t.co/uvKkmH84V6 https://t.co/mXD6qHwEZh
— CBS News (@CBSNews) March 22, 2016
"People were crying, shouting, children. It was a horrible experience," he said, adding that his decision to buy magazines might have saved his life.
"I don't want to think about it, but I would probably have been in that place when the bomb went off," he said.
An hour later, another blast was reported at Maelbeek Metro station, close to the U.S. Embassy and European Union headquarters.
Read: Teens Miraculously Survive Plane Crash: We're Lucky to Be Alive
"The Metro was leaving Maelbeek station for Schuman when there was a really loud explosion," Alexandre Brans, 32, told the Associated Press as he wiped blood off his face. "It was panic everywhere. There were a lot of people in the Metro."
I'd be "extremely careful about people from the Middle East" coming into U.S., says Trump https://t.co/uvKkmH84V6 https://t.co/CBxsE0dKuz
— CBS News (@CBSNews) March 22, 2016
It comes just four days after authorities said a suspect in the Paris terror attacks, Salah Abdeslam, was taken into custody in Belgium after months on the run.
Following the blasts on Tuesday, French Prime Minister French President Francois Hollande said: "We are at war. We have been subjected for the last few months in Europe to acts of war."
Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel tweeted in English on Tuesday:
I strongly condemn these hateful attacks. Our thoughts go out to the victims and their families. We stand united against terrorism.
— Charles Michel (@CharlesMichel) March 22, 2016
These terrorists seek to undermine the democratic values that are the foundation of our way of life. They will never succeed. -H
— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) March 22, 2016
Do you all remember how beautiful and safe a place Brussels was. Not anymore, it is from a different world! U.S. must be vigilant and smart!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 22, 2016
"I strongly condemn these hateful attacks. Our thoughts go out to the victims and their families. We stand united against terrorism."
All flights to and from Brussels Airport have been cancelled, and all public transport in the Belgian capital is also shut down.
Over 200 flights have been diverted or cancelled, all told.
"The thoughts and prayers of the American people are with the people of Belgium" —@POTUS on the attacks in #Brussels https://t.co/TWxnIDfDqL
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) March 22, 2016
From Cuba, where he's been for over two days as part of an historic state trip to help mend American ties with the Caribbean nation, President Barack Obama addressed the tragedy.
"The thoughts and prayers of the American people are with the people of Belgium," the president said. "This is another reminder that the world must unite, we must be together."
"The world," Obama said, "must continue to unite against the scourge of terrorism."
Watch: President Obama Lays White Rose for Paris Victims
