7 ms·

Two Explosions at Brussels Airport

175 points by hccampos 11y ago

hccampos 11y ago
"The Belgian fire service told local media there were at least several dead and wounded"
deleted 11y ago
[deleted]
huuu 11y ago
Some say 11 died. Here some pictures: http://www.standaard.be/cnt/dmf20160322_02196237 http://www.standaard.be/cnt/dmf20160322_02196237 Edit: some sources say more bombs were found...
- MIKarlsen 11y ago
  I've only read reports on injured people so far... I was hoping that that might be correct.
Pyxl101 11y ago
Update: there are now reports of additional explosions, in a metro station. Brussel Central is now allegedly being evacuated. https://www.reddit.com/live/wmk50bsm9vt3 https://www.reddit.com/live/wmk50bsm9vt3 https://t.co/XewNyQhQS2 https://t.co/XewNyQhQS2 From Sky News Live: "Train staff say explosion has occurred at metro station in Brussels near the European Union headquarters" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y60wDzZt8yg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y60wDzZt8yg From the pictures, it looks like terrorism. Accidental explosions in the check-in lobby of an airport seem unlikely. Photos: https://www.rt.com/news/336519-explosions-hit-brussels-airport/ https://www.rt.com/news/336519-explosions-hit-brussels-airpo... or http://www.standaard.be/cnt/dmf20160322_02196237 http://www.standaard.be/cnt/dmf20160322_02196237 Government source [1] allegedly confirms it is a terrorist attack. Translation on Reddit [2]. 11 dead, 25 wounded. "Multiple witnesses confirm there were first shots fired, then some Arabic yelling and then 2 explosions" From RT: https://www.rt.com/news/336519-explosions-hit-brussels-airport/ https://www.rt.com/news/336519-explosions-hit-brussels-airpo... > Reports also suggest that first there was a shot fired in the departure hall, then something was called out in Arabic, and only afterward, two explosions rocked the facility. [1] http://www.demorgen.be/binnenland/live-zeker-een-dode-bij-explosies-in-brussels-airport-b3ebfa93/1Jb6Me/ http://www.demorgen.be/binnenland/live-zeker-een-dode-bij-ex... [2] https://www.reddit.com/r/worldnews/comments/4bgfx5/reports_of_explosions_at_brussels_airport/ https://www.reddit.com/r/worldnews/comments/4bgfx5/reports_o...
- stinos 11y ago
  Sometimes the state of the current media is a bit saddening. One source says 11 dead, 25 wounded. Another source at the same time, the federal police nota bene, says 1 dead. Wouldn't it be better, in cases like these, if only things were reported which are actually confirmed by multiple sources? Not that it matters much in the end, but still. I was at Zaventem just two days ago. Feels weird.
  - Pyxl101 11y ago
    RT is now reporting 17 dead: https://www.rt.com/news/336519-explosions-hit-brussels-airport/ https://www.rt.com/news/336519-explosions-hit-brussels-airpo... I take it as people relaying the information that they have, along with the degree of confidence of that information. The reporting of unconfirmed information eventually consolidates and a consensus is reached about the truth. Some of the info also changes moment to moment. Maybe the number was 10 a while ago, but it's 17 now. Reporters don't want to wait a day until police have comprehensively examined the crime scene - they want to report their best guess as breaking news now, since people are curious and want to know what's going on. The question is, how does unconfirmed information go to becoming confirmed? When several people report it. If I see an explosion first hand and post about it to Twitter, then that's unconfirmed, but people will share it to spread the word, at which point it will either be corroborated or people will call it out as a hoax. Somewhere along the line, a news organization investigates the sources and "calls it" as confirmed, but they're using their judgment in relying on sources they have access to, either from their own reporters on the ground, or from other news agencies, or from enough people reporting the same thing to take the accounts as trustworthy. There may be no "confirmed" death toll until days for now - until after the disposition of all injured victims is known, for example. (Some may day later in the hospital.) Many different news organizations as well as bloggers and other people all posting their best guess as to what's going on. I have no first hand information about what's happening, so I'm personally trying to relay all the information I have by linking to it directly.
  - qb45 11y ago
    > One source says 11 dead, 25 wounded. Another source at the same time, the federal police nota bene, says 1 dead. Maybe for media to report somebody as dead it is sufficient that this person is indeed dead, while for the police it takes some procedures as they are held to a higher standard?
hccampos 11y ago
"Belgium's Het Laatste Nieuws reports that more bombs have been found. The Belga news agency reports that shots were fired and shouts in Arabic were heard before the two explosions."
- frederikvs 11y ago
  Het Laatste Nieuws is not Belgium's most reliable newspaper, and so far I haven't heard any more reputable source confirming this...
  - hccampos 11y ago
    It is in the BBC news piece, so they seem to trust them.
  - smu 11y ago
    I'm also in Belgium and following the news. Only one mention of possible shots fired so far (a while ago). It does not seem likely at this time (eye-witness accounts in airport not mentioning shots fired)
- akerro 11y ago
  >shouts in Arabic were heard before the two explosions That's not surprising when we know there were shootings last week "linked" to Paris attack. Euro 2016 (in France) starts in 80 days.
  - agumonkey 11y ago
    That's gonna be a fun one. Sarcasm aside, the tension ramping up is worrying.
woutr_be 11y ago
As a Belgian, this news hit very hard. There's always reports of attacks in other countries, but it's a totally different feeling when it happens in your home country.
- wiz21 11y ago
  As a Belgian, this news hit very hard. Our (elected) government deployed military and police presence over the past month to ensure security. What a joke... Not that I didn't know it, but now it's certified : military in the streets is useless (and costly). They'd better help those who need it.
  - jacquesm 11y ago
    I've pointed out long ago that any concentration of people is a terrorist target and that any attempt at pretending that we are some how 'safe' is a total illusion. Extremely annoying because the amount of security theater is only going up.
  - emp_zealoth 11y ago
    I'm pretty sure you are wrong. Properly armed forces patrolling might have stopped the attack from being another machinegun bloodbath like in Paris. Sure,military can hardly help with bombs, but so far the attack had an order of magnitude smaller death count
rnsc 11y ago
Please be careful with the relayed info, as the "Arabic yelling" and "shots fired" is totally unconfirmed.
TimPrice 11y ago
This only adds to the hate between eachother. Still can't get my head around it as to why or what they get with this.
- Majestic121 11y ago
  They get power. The more people hate muslims, the more they feel like outcast. The more muslims feel like outcasts, the easier it is to make them extremists and recruit them for their army.
  - oneeyedpigeon 11y ago
    Just imagine what it will be like if Trump gets elected president. Probably the greatest ISIS recruitment tool there could ever be. Edit: downvote or debate, your choice. You can also do both.
    - laichzeit0 11y ago
      You've not given a single reason why Trump would be the "greatest ISIS recruitment tool there could ever be." You just stated it as an infallible statement of truth. What exactly is there to debate? I summarily reject your assertion. Debate over.
      - oneeyedpigeon 11y ago
        Donald Trump has expressed considerable anti-Muslim sentiment, to the extent that he has expressed a desire to exclude all Muslims from the USA. Coupled with the point made by the post I replied to, I think there is terrifying potential for an extension in related terrorism.
        sbmassey 11y ago
        Banning Muslims from entering the US is probably better from the alienation perspective than letting large numbers of them in, and then having to police them heavily to prevent attacks like the above
hccampos 11y ago
BBC: "Explosion at Metro close to EU building"
wwwhizz 11y ago
According to Dutch news there also have been explosions at a metro station called Maelbeek.
- agumonkey 11y ago
  Subway network in process of closing.
- LeonM 11y ago
  Images are starting to appear on twitter that confirm this.
wiz21 11y ago
Could you leave that kind of news out of Hacker News plz ? Counting deaths and bombs is not an efficient way of understanding and improving the world's situation. Please post geopolitical analysis instead.
- deleted 11y ago
  [deleted]
- akerro 11y ago
  Or how about we post what we want and people vote what they want to see on front page?
Xelom 11y ago
We are having explosions targeting civilians in Turkey. They are occuring in two big cities Istanbul and Ankara. People are frightened to go outside nowadays. They are trying not to use public transport. And these news keep pressuring Turkish people to stay at home more and more. Our last explosion was at heart of Istanbul, Taksim at 19th March and 13th March, 17th February before that at Ankara.
- madaxe_again 11y ago
  Isn't that erdogan pretending to be the pkk in order to justify ethnic cleansing though?
- raldu 11y ago
  Thank you for pointing out. Turkey has been a consistent target of frequent terrorist attacks from ISIS. However, such facts are somehow being "overlooked" in the Western media because of seemingly Orientalist attitudes. Over 100 people had been killed in an explosion in their capital, Ankara, following a suicide bombing attack from ISIS. Nobody cared. Then afterwards another attack had happened in Paris, and the whole world broke loose. It seems that so-called "universal" values of "humanity" is biased towards Western societies. The same thing happening again and now. Turkey has been recently suffering from similar attacks frequently in Istanbul, and Ankara; and only following an attack in Brussel that HN responds with a protest changing the title color, etc. Not to mention that authoritarian government of Turkey throttles or censors Twitter, Google, Youtube, etc. after each attack, and spreads misinformation through some mass media channels that they "own". I do not remember any discussion about these censorships in HN. Are such concerns not of value to HN community? Is that because such bombings and authoritarian regimes are somehow perceived as "normal" in the "Eastern European" or "Middle Eastern" countries? I am confused.
  - k-mcgrady 11y ago
    I don't think nobody cares. The attacks in Turkey this week were the top headline in UK news sites. I think the reason the coverage doesn't last as long as something like Paris is that Turkey is in a much closer proximity to ISIS and attacks like these are much more common there. If anything happens often it loses it's ability to shock you even if you are saddened and disgusted by it. Take Syria for example. For the first few months of the war there was daily news coverage. Now? Nothing. It's not that people don't care, it's just that it's no longer shocking enough to get people to buy newspapers.
swang 11y ago
Is this story being buried? Can't find it on the main page anywhere.
- k-mcgrady 11y ago
  I'm not seeing it either. I hope it's not being buried. It seems like it should be the sort of thing we have on the front page just so people in the area can be aware and stay safe. I don't understand why anyone would flag it.
- seren 11y ago
  Personally I have flagged it. Not that I am not concerned or worried, but they are plenty of "live threads" of event in many news site all over the world. HN is not a good format for unfolding events, nor that there is something especially insightful to gain. Unfortunately, it seems there is a major terrorist attack every month. (From last few weeks Ivory coast, Istanbul,..), I don't think there is anything to gain by turning HN into a news hub.
  - qb45 11y ago
    You realize that by punishing the parent for flagging, you are inadvertently "punishing" for posting the explanation as well? :)
  - jacquesm 11y ago
    I wouldn't have known about it for many hours if not for HN. Really, you just couldn't wait to flag an attack on what is technically the capital of Europe because it was competing for space with 'Essential Copying and Pasting from Stackoverflow'?
    - seren 11y ago
      I am fine with people disagreeing, and I can understand that it hits close to home, but this is a matter of principle, I don't think it is desirable that HN turns into a news source, particularly for unfolding events. HN is often praised for having a good signal to noise ratio, this is something that should be "defended".
gbajson 11y ago
From https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html: "Off-Topic: Most stories about politics, or crime, or sports, unless they're evidence of some interesting new phenomenon. Videos of pratfalls or disasters, or cute animal pictures. If they'd cover it on TV news, it's probably off-topic."

175 points by hccampos 11y ago

hccampos 11y ago

"The Belgian fire service told local media there were at least several dead and wounded"

deleted 11y ago

[deleted]

huuu 11y ago

Some say 11 died. Here some pictures: http://www.standaard.be/cnt/dmf20160322_02196237 http://www.standaard.be/cnt/dmf20160322_02196237 Edit: some sources say more bombs were found...

MIKarlsen 11y ago
I've only read reports on injured people so far... I was hoping that that might be correct.

Pyxl101 11y ago

Update: there are now reports of additional explosions, in a metro station. Brussel Central is now allegedly being evacuated. https://www.reddit.com/live/wmk50bsm9vt3 https://www.reddit.com/live/wmk50bsm9vt3 https://t.co/XewNyQhQS2 https://t.co/XewNyQhQS2 From Sky News Live: "Train staff say explosion has occurred at metro station in Brussels near the European Union headquarters" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y60wDzZt8yg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y60wDzZt8yg From the pictures, it looks like terrorism. Accidental explosions in the check-in lobby of an airport seem unlikely. Photos: https://www.rt.com/news/336519-explosions-hit-brussels-airport/ https://www.rt.com/news/336519-explosions-hit-brussels-airpo... or http://www.standaard.be/cnt/dmf20160322_02196237 http://www.standaard.be/cnt/dmf20160322_02196237 Government source [1] allegedly confirms it is a terrorist attack. Translation on Reddit [2]. 11 dead, 25 wounded. "Multiple witnesses confirm there were first shots fired, then some Arabic yelling and then 2 explosions" From RT: https://www.rt.com/news/336519-explosions-hit-brussels-airport/ https://www.rt.com/news/336519-explosions-hit-brussels-airpo... > Reports also suggest that first there was a shot fired in the departure hall, then something was called out in Arabic, and only afterward, two explosions rocked the facility. [1] http://www.demorgen.be/binnenland/live-zeker-een-dode-bij-explosies-in-brussels-airport-b3ebfa93/1Jb6Me/ http://www.demorgen.be/binnenland/live-zeker-een-dode-bij-ex... [2] https://www.reddit.com/r/worldnews/comments/4bgfx5/reports_of_explosions_at_brussels_airport/ https://www.reddit.com/r/worldnews/comments/4bgfx5/reports_o...

stinos 11y ago
Sometimes the state of the current media is a bit saddening. One source says 11 dead, 25 wounded. Another source at the same time, the federal police nota bene, says 1 dead. Wouldn't it be better, in cases like these, if only things were reported which are actually confirmed by multiple sources? Not that it matters much in the end, but still. I was at Zaventem just two days ago. Feels weird.
- Pyxl101 11y ago
  RT is now reporting 17 dead: https://www.rt.com/news/336519-explosions-hit-brussels-airport/ https://www.rt.com/news/336519-explosions-hit-brussels-airpo... I take it as people relaying the information that they have, along with the degree of confidence of that information. The reporting of unconfirmed information eventually consolidates and a consensus is reached about the truth. Some of the info also changes moment to moment. Maybe the number was 10 a while ago, but it's 17 now. Reporters don't want to wait a day until police have comprehensively examined the crime scene - they want to report their best guess as breaking news now, since people are curious and want to know what's going on. The question is, how does unconfirmed information go to becoming confirmed? When several people report it. If I see an explosion first hand and post about it to Twitter, then that's unconfirmed, but people will share it to spread the word, at which point it will either be corroborated or people will call it out as a hoax. Somewhere along the line, a news organization investigates the sources and "calls it" as confirmed, but they're using their judgment in relying on sources they have access to, either from their own reporters on the ground, or from other news agencies, or from enough people reporting the same thing to take the accounts as trustworthy. There may be no "confirmed" death toll until days for now - until after the disposition of all injured victims is known, for example. (Some may day later in the hospital.) Many different news organizations as well as bloggers and other people all posting their best guess as to what's going on. I have no first hand information about what's happening, so I'm personally trying to relay all the information I have by linking to it directly.
- qb45 11y ago
  > One source says 11 dead, 25 wounded. Another source at the same time, the federal police nota bene, says 1 dead. Maybe for media to report somebody as dead it is sufficient that this person is indeed dead, while for the police it takes some procedures as they are held to a higher standard?

hccampos 11y ago

"Belgium's Het Laatste Nieuws reports that more bombs have been found. The Belga news agency reports that shots were fired and shouts in Arabic were heard before the two explosions."

frederikvs 11y ago
Het Laatste Nieuws is not Belgium's most reliable newspaper, and so far I haven't heard any more reputable source confirming this...
- hccampos 11y ago
  It is in the BBC news piece, so they seem to trust them.
- smu 11y ago
  I'm also in Belgium and following the news. Only one mention of possible shots fired so far (a while ago). It does not seem likely at this time (eye-witness accounts in airport not mentioning shots fired)
akerro 11y ago
>shouts in Arabic were heard before the two explosions That's not surprising when we know there were shootings last week "linked" to Paris attack. Euro 2016 (in France) starts in 80 days.
- agumonkey 11y ago
  That's gonna be a fun one. Sarcasm aside, the tension ramping up is worrying.

woutr_be 11y ago

As a Belgian, this news hit very hard. There's always reports of attacks in other countries, but it's a totally different feeling when it happens in your home country.

wiz21 11y ago
As a Belgian, this news hit very hard. Our (elected) government deployed military and police presence over the past month to ensure security. What a joke... Not that I didn't know it, but now it's certified : military in the streets is useless (and costly). They'd better help those who need it.
- jacquesm 11y ago
  I've pointed out long ago that any concentration of people is a terrorist target and that any attempt at pretending that we are some how 'safe' is a total illusion. Extremely annoying because the amount of security theater is only going up.
- emp_zealoth 11y ago
  I'm pretty sure you are wrong. Properly armed forces patrolling might have stopped the attack from being another machinegun bloodbath like in Paris. Sure,military can hardly help with bombs, but so far the attack had an order of magnitude smaller death count

rnsc 11y ago

Please be careful with the relayed info, as the "Arabic yelling" and "shots fired" is totally unconfirmed.

TimPrice 11y ago

This only adds to the hate between eachother. Still can't get my head around it as to why or what they get with this.

Majestic121 11y ago
They get power. The more people hate muslims, the more they feel like outcast. The more muslims feel like outcasts, the easier it is to make them extremists and recruit them for their army.
- oneeyedpigeon 11y ago
  Just imagine what it will be like if Trump gets elected president. Probably the greatest ISIS recruitment tool there could ever be. Edit: downvote or debate, your choice. You can also do both.
  - laichzeit0 11y ago
    You've not given a single reason why Trump would be the "greatest ISIS recruitment tool there could ever be." You just stated it as an infallible statement of truth. What exactly is there to debate? I summarily reject your assertion. Debate over.
    - oneeyedpigeon 11y ago
      Donald Trump has expressed considerable anti-Muslim sentiment, to the extent that he has expressed a desire to exclude all Muslims from the USA. Coupled with the point made by the post I replied to, I think there is terrifying potential for an extension in related terrorism.
      - sbmassey 11y ago
        Banning Muslims from entering the US is probably better from the alienation perspective than letting large numbers of them in, and then having to police them heavily to prevent attacks like the above

hccampos 11y ago

BBC: "Explosion at Metro close to EU building"

wwwhizz 11y ago

According to Dutch news there also have been explosions at a metro station called Maelbeek.

agumonkey 11y ago
Subway network in process of closing.
LeonM 11y ago
Images are starting to appear on twitter that confirm this.

wiz21 11y ago

Could you leave that kind of news out of Hacker News plz ? Counting deaths and bombs is not an efficient way of understanding and improving the world's situation. Please post geopolitical analysis instead.

deleted 11y ago
[deleted]
akerro 11y ago
Or how about we post what we want and people vote what they want to see on front page?

Xelom 11y ago

We are having explosions targeting civilians in Turkey. They are occuring in two big cities Istanbul and Ankara. People are frightened to go outside nowadays. They are trying not to use public transport. And these news keep pressuring Turkish people to stay at home more and more. Our last explosion was at heart of Istanbul, Taksim at 19th March and 13th March, 17th February before that at Ankara.

madaxe_again 11y ago
Isn't that erdogan pretending to be the pkk in order to justify ethnic cleansing though?
raldu 11y ago
Thank you for pointing out. Turkey has been a consistent target of frequent terrorist attacks from ISIS. However, such facts are somehow being "overlooked" in the Western media because of seemingly Orientalist attitudes. Over 100 people had been killed in an explosion in their capital, Ankara, following a suicide bombing attack from ISIS. Nobody cared. Then afterwards another attack had happened in Paris, and the whole world broke loose. It seems that so-called "universal" values of "humanity" is biased towards Western societies. The same thing happening again and now. Turkey has been recently suffering from similar attacks frequently in Istanbul, and Ankara; and only following an attack in Brussel that HN responds with a protest changing the title color, etc. Not to mention that authoritarian government of Turkey throttles or censors Twitter, Google, Youtube, etc. after each attack, and spreads misinformation through some mass media channels that they "own". I do not remember any discussion about these censorships in HN. Are such concerns not of value to HN community? Is that because such bombings and authoritarian regimes are somehow perceived as "normal" in the "Eastern European" or "Middle Eastern" countries? I am confused.
- k-mcgrady 11y ago
  I don't think nobody cares. The attacks in Turkey this week were the top headline in UK news sites. I think the reason the coverage doesn't last as long as something like Paris is that Turkey is in a much closer proximity to ISIS and attacks like these are much more common there. If anything happens often it loses it's ability to shock you even if you are saddened and disgusted by it. Take Syria for example. For the first few months of the war there was daily news coverage. Now? Nothing. It's not that people don't care, it's just that it's no longer shocking enough to get people to buy newspapers.

swang 11y ago

Is this story being buried? Can't find it on the main page anywhere.

k-mcgrady 11y ago
I'm not seeing it either. I hope it's not being buried. It seems like it should be the sort of thing we have on the front page just so people in the area can be aware and stay safe. I don't understand why anyone would flag it.
seren 11y ago
Personally I have flagged it. Not that I am not concerned or worried, but they are plenty of "live threads" of event in many news site all over the world. HN is not a good format for unfolding events, nor that there is something especially insightful to gain. Unfortunately, it seems there is a major terrorist attack every month. (From last few weeks Ivory coast, Istanbul,..), I don't think there is anything to gain by turning HN into a news hub.
- qb45 11y ago
  You realize that by punishing the parent for flagging, you are inadvertently "punishing" for posting the explanation as well? :)
- jacquesm 11y ago
  I wouldn't have known about it for many hours if not for HN. Really, you just couldn't wait to flag an attack on what is technically the capital of Europe because it was competing for space with 'Essential Copying and Pasting from Stackoverflow'?
  - seren 11y ago
    I am fine with people disagreeing, and I can understand that it hits close to home, but this is a matter of principle, I don't think it is desirable that HN turns into a news source, particularly for unfolding events. HN is often praised for having a good signal to noise ratio, this is something that should be "defended".

gbajson 11y ago

From https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html: "Off-Topic: Most stories about politics, or crime, or sports, unless they're evidence of some interesting new phenomenon. Videos of pratfalls or disasters, or cute animal pictures. If they'd cover it on TV news, it's probably off-topic."