The Maltese man injured in this morning’s explosions at Brussels airport is fine and being treated at a military hospital, according to a fellow Maltese traveller.

Lorenzo Vella, a 30-year-old Maltese technical attache' at the Malta Representation was slightly injured at the airport.

Speaking to Times of Malta, Randolph Debattista, an official at Malta’s EU representation in Brussels, said he made contact with the man and his wife, who had been with him but was unhurt.

“Apparently he was hit by debris that fell as a result of the blasts but he is fine and I just spoke to him,” Mr Debattista said.

Mr Debattista and the injured man formed part of a group of Maltese travellers who were meant to fly out to New York this morning.

“I was still on the way to the airport with others when our friends called to tell us about the explosions. We have now gathered at a nearby hotel,” Mr Debattista said, describing scenes of panic and shock over the attacks.

He said that all Maltese personnel employed at Malta’s EU representation were being called in at Dar Malta from the various meetings they were attending.

In separate comments from the heart of the EU district in Brussels where another blast took place at a Metro station, Massimo Farrugia, employed with the European Parliament, said there was palpable tension on the streets.

“The police are visibly tense as well and not trusting anyone,” he told Times of Malta.

15 people have so far been confirmed dead at the airport and there are unconfirmed reports of 10 having died at the metro station (see separate story).

OTHER EYEWITNESS ACCOUNTS

Eyewitnesses  described "chaos" as they ran from the sound of explosions during the bomb attack.

Jef Versele, 40, from Ghent, Belgium, was at the airport and described the scene as "unbelievable".

"I was on my way to check in and two bombs went off - two explosions," he said.
"I didn't see anything. Everything was coming down. Glassware. It was chaos, it was unbelievable. It was the worst thing."

"People were running away, there were lots of people on the ground. A lot of people are injured."

Mr Versele was two or three storeys above the source of the explosion but he said many people around him were hurt.

"The bomb was coming from downstairs. It was going up through the roof. It was big.

"About 15 windows were just blown out from the entrance hall," he added.

Bart van Meele had planned to take a 30th birthday trip to Milan and had passed through security in the terminal when he heard an explosion.

Speaking from the airport, with sirens wailing in the background, the Apple worker, who was evacuated along with thousands of other people, said: "One of the explosions I heard, and then afterwards people started running. It's OK, I'm very calm but it's a bit crazy. You never really think it would happen to you but it's OK."

Mr van Meele, who lives in Belgium but is from the Netherlands, added: "We are all next to the airport, there are a lot of people here. I was inside the terminal, and then people started running very, very fast and then it was quiet for a time and then again they started running and it took a while before we got any information."

On the metro, traveller Evan Lamos tweeted a picture of passengers climbing from his train into the tunnel, saying: "We are being evacuated from the back of the Metro, between Schuman and Maelbeek.

"Smoke in the tunnel as we evacuate."

Brussels resident Shigeo Sugimoto said he was one stop away from where the metro was hit and heard people shouting.

He wrote on Facebook: "I am fine !! But i was in the metro when suddenly some one start shouting 'explosions!!! Evacuation!!!

"Ouch!!! I was just one station ahead before when explosion happened !!!!!!!!"
He posted pictures showing cars and people standing in the road and wrote: "Maerbeek (sic) now apocalypse!!!"
 
Stephanie Vanhemelryck, 24, who lives 45 minutes from the airport, described the aftermath of the attacks.

"I arrived there after the explosions happened. I pass the airport while I go to work. I get the train to work. And when I arrived there, there was an immediate evacuation."

As she was guided away from the main building, Ms Vanhemelryck said she saw several injured people, including a "few security guards injured with head wounds".

She said initially people did not seem to realise the severity of the situation, but "emotional chaos" followed.

"It was fine in the beginning but as more people started to arrive there was way more chaos", she said. "People started getting cold. People started crying."
She added: "When more people started to come outside, more emotional chaos started to happen - but not like running around. More like emotions flowing."
 
Mr Sugimoto said he saw a man with blood on his face in the vicinity of Maelbeek station in the EU quarter, near the European Commission's main building.

He was at Arts-Loi station, one ahead of Maelbeek, and told the Press Association: "On the ground, there were already people walking every direction to distance (themselves) from metro and the Belgian army were there trying to make people calm.

"I saw a guy, blood over his face, dragged by another person. Then police start blocking the street and I could only see ambulances go and come."
 
Jordy van Overmeir was waiting in the baggage area after having just landed at the airport from Bangkok when the explosion took place.

He told Sky News: "I got my luggage and then all of a sudden I heard a loud explosion - this boom. Initially I thought it was the sound of a suitcase falling down ...

"At this point I saw all these policemen running around, shouting and saying 'there was an explosion'."

Outside the baggage claim area and the arrival hall he could "smell smoke and see glass and I saw blood".

He said: "Then I came outside of the airport on the parking lot and there I saw people with head wounds, people crying, more blood on the road and glass everywhere."

He took a proper look at the airport building and said the "glass is out" on the upper floors where the departure hall is.

He said: "There was a lot of panic, with people running around. Policemen, military everywhere. There were ambulances going around. People seemed really shocked ... Everyone seems very shocked and very sad."