Explosions at Brussels Airport and Metro

To wot and harrigran.
Thank God that your loved ones are okay. I never thought that when I joined this site a few days ago, that I would be 'talking' to people whose dear families would be going through such horror !!!
My heart goes out to you completely and utterly.

I did turn it off but just thought it would be dreadful to see someone you knew. I think it would be possible to only present professional coverage and never photographs of individuals which really do not add anything to our knowledge but can only be described as voyeurism.

I'm afraid the genie is out of the bottle as far as news coverage is concerned these days.

You cannot sanitise the dreadful events that are taking place in our midst and as everybody has access to a camera and the internet there are going to be scenes that some will find upsetting.

The BBC and other news channels are there to inform and we DO need to know what is happening.

There is an off switch for those who find certain scenes too distressing to watch but the last thing we need is any form of censorship.

It isn't necessarily the news reporters' footage I dislike-they are there to do a job after all. It is the photographs of individuals with injuries shown very soon after the event that shocked me. I wonder who on earth stopped to take these photographs? Why didn't they either see if they could help or just get out of the way? Why were they shown? We knew there would be dreadful injuries we didn't need to see them and there might have been people watching who would have seen their loved ones in a dreadful state and be able to do nothing. By showing such things the news stations encourage people to stop and take such intrusive pictures.

Hope you and your loved ones stay safe, Felice

Wilma the footage was shown on Begian channels beacause it was important at the time here. If the BBC picks it up thats is not our problem.
It is not school holidays all over the UK and anyway if you do not like it switch off.
I am sorry i am getting upset as SIL is due to leave work now and many friends are also.
All we have heard all day are sirens and helicopters, we are very near the Large Law courts, no telephones are working.

Thank you for your posts.

I agree with Wilma up to a point, but think felice has bigger concerns right now.

Wilma

I do not want to be arguementative but I do not agree with you. Our news coverage is too sanitised already .

Just because something is unpalatable for our eyes does not mean we should avert our eyes from the truth or horrors of what happens. Time of day , who is viewing the news cannot be taken into account on current 24/7 news channels .

My thoughts are obviously with those who have lost their lives and injured in both the attacks on the Zaventem Airport and the Maalbeek Metro and their families. Also sympathy to the population of Belgium .

Devastating news and our vulnerability in all countries is terrifying.

The European Parliament must focus on terrorism having seen this utter carnage first hand , no doubt concerned for their MEP's.

Reports say IS /Daesh has said it is responsible .

What a dreadful situation this is for everybody, even those not directly involved, and once again the Ambulance workers,hospitals and Police Force are being called upon to carry out work which must be horrendous. A worry time for everyone with friends and relations in Belgium, our thoughts must be with them all.

felice I didn't say your friend's footage showed injured people, but we have still seen scenes of injured people receiving medical attention. You may know the screaming was children crying, but how are all the other viewers supposed to know?

It's your choice about what you want to see and I might well complain to the BBC. The BBC is the British Broadcasting Corporation, not a Belgian broadcaster. I have no problem with graphic news coverage at the appropriate time of day and for me that does not include during the day, especially when it's school holidays. I mentioned the Herald Of Free Enterprise disaster because it happened in Belgium.

I understand how dreadful this is for you and your family (my brother was involved in the London 7/7 bombings, but not badly injured), so please don't think I'm trying to upset you. Perhaps I am out of touch with what is and is not acceptable.

The footage he took did not contain any scenes of injured people. The children were crying not screaming.
I would rather be shown footage which was important to us here in Brussels taken by a professional.
What has happened here today is happening around us, and perhaps we are not really bothered what people overseas think at the moment.
You should complain to the BBC.
All of us in the middle of it want to know what is going on.

It is coming close to rush hour again and although public transport is cancelled, people are still going to be coming home from work with streets being busier than usual with pedestrians.
Much more of a concern to people here than the BBC.

The Herald Of Free Enterprise disastor is still well remembered here in Belguim.

Its truly dreadful I have a young friend whose family all live in Brussels I don't want to bother her as I'm sure she doesn't need me phoning her at such a worrying time so I've left her a FB message hoping all is well..

felice I am very glad your friend is safe. I don't agree with showing footage at this time of day which features screaming or badly injured people, especially as children are on holiday this week for the Easter holidays. After the 9.00 pm watershed is the time to show events in graphic detail. Over the years coverage of tragic events gets more and more graphic. This goes right back to 1987 when broadcasters were criticised over the cover of the Zeebrugge ferry disaster. Despite this criticism, the coverage has become more graphic to the point when viewers are desensitised to what they're seeing. I am aware of the guidelines the BBC operates under, but I think we are still seeing examples of where more consideration should be given as to whether the images tell a story of real significance or are simply being used because the footage was available.

I don't want to hijack this thread though with this discussion, so apologies to those like yourself who have family and friends in the area.

The footage of the Metro train was taken by a friend of mine, he also made the calm report on the BBC later in the morning, the screaming was a couple of small children who were scared.
No one was hurt on the train it was just about to enter the station about 100 metres out. Everyone left the train calmly and people assisted others who needed it.
He is a producer working for TV Brussels, and a consummate professional.
He is one of DGS Sunday school teachers.

I can't believe the BBC is showing coverage of people getting off the metro trains with screaming in the background.

Thank goodness peoples' families on here are all ok. My first thought was of Felice when I heard the news and so glad she's ok too. I used to live and work in Brussels in my 20s and its one of my favourite cities. How terribly sad it all is.

More madness and mayhem.

I've just watched the film of the aftermath. Couldn't believe people filming or looking to be texting! Wouldn't you want to get out smartly?

Just had a Facebook message from my niece who lives in Brussels to say she is safe and her brother who was visiting from America had just flown out of Brussels before the event! Thank goodness

Glad to hear that some of our posters here have had good news about their loved ones. What a worrying time for all.

Horrified. I hope everyone has now traced friends and relations that could have been caught up in it.

I'm flying to England on Friday for Easter. I hope no cancellations - I will go whatever because I will not let these vermin disrupt my life and win. Will be on the alert though.

I so remember well waiting until 8pm the evening of 9/11 to hear if my ex and his wife were safe in NY. Massive relief when DFiL called me that they had managed to call and were safely home. Next morning not only relief but a really horrid feeling that 20,000 people were still unaccounted for and their relatives still waiting to here. How lucky were we.

I have just had another look at the news and see what you all mean.
This morning they said there were only a few who were killed. What a world we live in.

My thoughts are with all of you who have loved ones caught up in these terrible happenings. I pray that they are all safe.