No reports of Pakistanis injured in Brussels blasts: Pak ambassador

BRUSSELS: The Pakistani Embassy in Brussels says it has not received reports of any Pakistani being killed or injured in the explosions that rocked Belgian capital on Tuesday.

Explosions tore through the departure hall of Brussels airport on Tuesday morning and multiple blasts struck the Metro system in the capital shortly afterwards, killing at least 28 people and injuring dozens.

“We established contact with the Belgian authorities as soon as we received reports of the blasts. We are also in contact with leaders of the Pakistani community and members of the media here,” Pakistani Ambassador to Belgium Naghmana A Hashmi told Geo News earlier today.

“So far, we have not received any reports of any Pakistani being injured or killed in the blasts,” she said.

Hashmi said between 12,000 and 15,000 Pakistanis reside in Belgium, a country considered to be the de facto capital of the European Union hosting the official seats of the European Commission, and the European Parliament.

The ambassador said most Pakistanis in Brussels reside in the Molenbeek area, close to the centre of the city where most metro stations are located. “A few Pakistani families also reside in areas surrounding the airport,” she said.

She added that the embassy had set up dedicated emergency helpline numbers for the assistance of the Pakistani community residing in and around Brussels.

The emergency numbers are listed below and have also been shared on the embassy’s Facebook page.

Emergency Helpline numbers:

Belgian Authorities Crisis Cell- 0032-25064711

Belgian Authorities Crisis Cell- 1771

Mr Awais Ahmed Khan,Head of Chancery,Embassy of Pakistan-0032-26622104

Mr Kashif Jameel,Third Secretary,Embassy of Pakistan-0032-26632737