A former Royal Gazette reporter spoke of his relief yesterday after he narrowly avoided a bomb explosion on his way to work in Brussels.

Ahmed ElAmin also praised the “incredible” solidarity of the people in the Belgian capital after the attacks that killed more than 30 people.

Another 180 people were left injured after terrorists targeted the Zaventem airport and Maelbeek metro at about 8am.

“I passed through the metro station half-an-hour before,” Mr ElAmin told The Royal Gazette. “Luckily I came into work just a little earlier today.”

The communications consultant and former business reporter said he got to work early because his partner took their seven-year-old son to school, which he normally does.

“What’s incredible has been the solidarity of people in Brussels and at work,” he added.

Mr ElAmin said people offered strangers a place to stay or a lift home and added that he and his partner would put up friends, who had been at the airport, for the night, because they could not find a hotel.

“The city is coming together around this tragedy, which is heartening to see,” he said.

Mr ElAmin, who has been living in Brussels for about five years, said he found out about the attacks at the airport when he arrived at his office just across from the central station in the city centre.

“The second attack at the metro station, which is only three stations away, happened about 20 minutes later,” he said yesterday afternoon.

“It’s eerily quiet except for the sounds of sirens and the occasional helicopter. There’s definitely shock and people are tense.

“The entire transportation system has been shut down — metros, trains. The order is for everyone to stay at work and at school while the security operations are going on.”

And with the mobile phone network also shut off, Mr ElAmin said people were using social media to stay in touch and check everyone was all right. “It’s really hit home that this is probably the new normal in terms of having to be vigilant, having security forces everywhere and being checked when you go into buildings,” he said.

He added that their soldiers had been on the streets since November and reports of an imminent attack had been circulating since Salah Abdeslam, the alleged mastermind of the Paris attacks, was arrested on Friday.

“It’s really come home to Europe; Paris and now this. Security will probably be ramped up even more. We’ll get used to seeing soldiers with guns in the metro and other key places.”

Michael Dunkley yesterday expressed Bermuda’s “profound” sympathy for the loss of life.

“Bermuda joins with the rest of the world in expressing profound sympathy for the loss of life in Brussels earlier today,” the Premier and Minister of National Security said in a statement.

“The impact of these kinds of attacks is felt beyond the shores of the affected countries and, on behalf of the Government and people of Bermuda, our thoughts and prayers are with the families of those killed and injured as they confront the sad reality of these life-changing events.” A ministry spokeswoman added that the Premier will be sending formal condolence correspondence to Bermuda’s Belgian Consulate and to Belgium’s Prime Minister Charles Michel.

Meanwhile, a spokeswoman from the Consulate General of Belgium in Montreal told this newspaper yesterday afternoon that Belgium’s terrorist threat level had been upgraded to level four: a serious and imminent threat. She added that the national security council was in an emergency session while authorities concentrated on taking care of the wounded and closely monitored the security situation.

All flights out of Brussels airport were cancelled, with incoming flights redirected to other airports in neighbouring countries, and the Brussels metro was closed.