American describes Maelbeek station attack: 'I thought to myself, 'I've got to get out of here''

Belgian emergency staff arrive at the Wetstraat - Rue de la Loi.

(Image credit: LAURIE DIEFFEMBACQ/AFP/Getty Images)

published 22 March 2016

At least 15 people were killed and 55 injured following an explosion on Tuesday that targeted a metro station near the EU buildings in central Brussels. Brian Carroll, 31, of Washington, was visiting Belgium for a conference; his train was pulling into the Maelbeek station when the explosion hit. Carroll spoke with The New York Times about what he saw:

"As we were pulling into the station, there was suddenly a loud explosion. There was smoke everywhere. Everyone dropped to the ground. People were screaming and crying. I was on the ground.""We realized immediately we were being attacked by terrorists," [Carroll] continued. "For all I knew, there was a gunman going from car to car and shooting people."Mr. Carroll said he remained on the ground for a minute or two, then got up, pried the door open with his hands and fled the station."I thought to myself, 'I've got to get out of here,'" he said. "I headed toward an exit. There was smoke and soot everywhere. There was glass everywhere. It was like running through a cloud of dust. I saw the exit of the station was destroyed. I ran out of the station, I ran as far as I could." [The New York Times]

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Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.

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