American University students studying in Brussels found themselves coping Tuesday with the aftermath of deadly terror attacks in the city.
An AU junior on study abroad in Brussels, Max Okabayashi, said he often takes the Metro line that was attacked early Tuesday to classes, but he instead was headed that morning to his internship. He told News4 via Skype that several of his classmates faced close calls on their morning commutes.
“It was really scary to find out some of my friends were close to the bombings. Several of them were on trains either just before or just after the bombs went off on the same line," he said. "If they had been any sooner or later, they could have been hurt."
All AU students studying in Brussels are safe, a university representative said.
The terror attack killed more than 30 people and injured more than 200 people, NBC Washington reports.
“It’s actually happening to the area where I live,” Okabayashi said.
He said he heard about the first explosions, at the Brussels Airport, as he ate breakfast. He then headed to his internship, taking an above-ground tram.
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When he arrived at the office, a trade association for agriculture companies, his supervisors told him to go home.
“It was definitely very crazy, very hectic. People rushing to get out, trying to get their things together and just figure out what is going on,” he said.
Okabayashi tried to get home, but his tram was shut down, forcing him to find a different route amid the confusion.
“It was kind of difficult to reach my friends because the phone lines, at least the cellphone lines, were down," he said."I couldn’t call anybody and nobody could call me."
A friend invited Okabayashi to her home nearby. They arrived there, in the Ixelles neighborhood, at 9 a.m.
Okabayashi was still at his friend's home hours later. He said the neighborhood was “very tense” and “very quiet." Sirens could still be heard in the distance as children walked home from school.
