BRUSSELS, March 23 (Reuters) – All train traffic was disrupted in Brussels after Midi station, the city’s largest, was evacuated on Monday afternoon by police when suspicious bags were found, one day after the tenth anniversary of deadly terror attacks.
The station was closed after one suspicious bag was found in a train and another on a platform, a police spokesperson told Reuters.
Police officers and an anti-explosive army squad were investigating the bags, he added, without elaborating.
Most train traffic in the Belgian capital transits via the Midi station, but no train had arrived or left since about 5.30 p.m. (1630 GMT), state-owned railway operator SNCB’s spokesperson Vincent Bayer told Reuters.
The station is the main high-speed hub for connections between Brussels, Paris, London, Amsterdam and Germany.
The Midi metro station was also closed.
“The duration of the disruption is still undetermined. We are waiting for additional information from the police forces,” SNCB said on its website.
On March 22, 2016, coordinated bombings carried out by Islamic State militants killed dozens of people at Brussels Airport and Maalbeek metro station. Belgian King Philippe and top authorities on Sunday paid tribute to the victims of the attack in a ceremony at the metro station and the airport.
(Reporting by Inti Landauro; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne)
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