No Bangladesh nationals have been either killed or injured in the deadly twin attacks on Brussels airport and a rush-hour metro train in the Belgian capital on Tuesday, said Ismat Jahan, ambassador and head of mission to the European Union in Brussels.
Replying to a query, the Ms Ismat Jahan told the Dhaka Tribune: “The representatives of Bangladesh Embassy have already talked to the authorities and information officials at the Brussels airport and the metro train station but, we did not received any report of casualty of any Bangladeshi.”
According to the embassy officials, the number of Bangladeshis living in Belgium is 5,000.
At least 34 people were killed in the twin attacks, triggering security alerts across western Europe and bringing some cross-border transport to a halt.
According the Belgian broadcaster VRT, 20 people were killed in the blast on a metro train while another 14 died in explosions at Zaventem airport.
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 and combat troops on the streets had been on alert for any reprisal action but the attacks took place in crowded public areas where people and bags are not searched.
Video showed devastation in the hall with ceiling tiles and glass scattered across the floor. Some passengers emerged from the terminal with blood spattered over their clothes. Smoke rose from the building through shattered windows and passengers fled down a slipway, some still hauling their bags.
Britain, Germany, France and the Netherlands, all wary of spillover from conflict in Syria, were among states announcing extra security measures, according to a report of Reuters.
All public transport in Brussels was shut down, as it was in London during 2005 Islamist militant attacks there that killed 52. Authorities appealed to citizens not to use overloaded telephone networks, extra troops were sent into the city and the Belgian Crisis Centre, clearly wary of a further incident, appealed to the population: "Stay where you are".
Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel spoke of "a black time for our country".
"What we feared has come to pass. Our country has been struck by attacks which are blind, violent and cowardly."
Brussels airport said it had canceled all flights until at least 6am (0500 GMT) on Wednesday and the complex had been evacuated and trains to the airport had been stopped. Passengers were taken to coaches from the terminal that would remove them to a secure area.
All three main long-distance rail stations in Brussels were closed and train services on the cross-channel tunnel from London to Brussels were suspended.
Security services have been on a high state of alert across western Europe for fear of militant attacks backed by Islamic State, which claimed responsibility for the Paris attack.
While most European airports are known for stringent screening procedures of passengers and their baggage, that typically takes place only once passengers have checked in and are heading to the departure gates.
European stocks fell after the explosions, particularly travel sector stocks including airlines and hotels, pulling the broader indices down from multi-week highs. Safe-haven assets, gold and government bonds rose in price.
