A Hungarian survivor’s account of the Brussels blasts

The explosion was so big, she hardly heard anything. She only realised what was happening after the piece of metal had pierced her body. Erzsébet Krahulecz, one of the Hungarian casualties of the Brussels blasts was at the airport when the terrorists set off the bombs, faktor.hu reports.

Hardly any time passed between the two blasts, she says. After the second explosion, everyone who could was trying to escape, only the dead and the seriously wounded were on the ground. Ms Krahulecz could not move either, since during the first blast a 10-centimetre piece of metal had damaged her pelvis. She was conscious all throughout the events. She had been standing only a couple metres away from the first terrorist; everything happened so quickly, no one could prepare for it.

She says she was lucky because she was already on the ground when the second explosion went off so the shrapnel from that blast could not reach her. Had the 10-centimetre piece of metal hit her further up her torso, it could have damaged vital organs. If it had hit further down, it could have cut an artery, which is particularly dangerous because the injured can bleed out very quickly. Terrorists often put pieces of metal in the bombs, such as nails or screws, so the flying shrapnel can cause even more damage.

After 10-15 minutes, the first soldier arrived and helped her out of the terminal. The casualties were later taken to a hangar. She says, the injured were incredibly afraid that there would be more explosions at the airport. They waited for at least an hour before the ambulance arrived. Depending on the degree and nature of the injuries people were taken to 28 different hospitals in Belgium. Ms Krahulecz was taken to an Antwerp hospital specialising in gunshot wounds and severe burns.

She says, every victim in the hospital received special attention and their care was top priority even during the Easter holidays. In her surgeries, she says, first they removed the bigger pieces of metal and the smaller shrapnel, which the police collected for investigation. Then, during the second surgery, they tended the injured bones. The doctors say she is expected to make full recovery.