My Life on the Line — Trapped in Brussels Bombings Chaos
A firsthand account of the Brussels terrorist attacks on March 2016
The morning of March 22, 2016, was just like any other weekday morning for me.
I woke up feeling a bit groggy, but the enticing aroma of coffee and toast drew me out of bed. Little did I know that the day ahead would be anything but ordinary.
It was already 7:58 a.m. I hurriedly got dressed and checked the time. Back then, I lived in Berchem-Sainte-Agathe, one of Brussels’ municipalities, and my daily commute involved taking the tram across the Charles-Quint boulevard.
The sky seemed darker and gloomier than normal as I hurried out of my apartment.
The bad omen was there, but I missed it.
I didn’t want to be late because we were about to submit a new project to the European Commission.
Walking briskly towards the tram stop, my mind preoccupied with work matters. I wondered how I would manage to meet all my deadlines.
Still, all my worries would soon pale in comparison to what was about to happen.
As I stepped on the tram, I noticed a few passengers looking at their phones with puzzled expressions. One of them muttered something about…