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Police shoot attacker following blast at Belgian train station

Police officials and firefighters speak on a street outside Gare Centrale in Brussels on June 20, 2017, after an explosion in the Belgian capital. (Photos by AFP)

Belgian police have “neutralized” a suspect after an explosion rocked Brussels' central train station.

"There was man and a small explosion took place near him. Soldiers neutralized him with gunfire. No one (else) was injured," said Belgian federal police spokesman Peter De Waele on Tuesday.

The attack took place at Brussels' Gare Centrale train station which was subsequently evacuated along with a nearby popular tourist destination.

Following the blast, Belgium’s Prime Minister Charles Michel called on people via Twitter to adhere to instructions issued by the local authorities.

A railway sorting agent, Nicolas Van Herrewegen, noted that the explosion itself was not large but had caused panic in the station.

"I went down to the mezzanine level, someone was shouting…and he blew up a trolley," he said.

"I was behind a wall when it exploded. I went down and alerted my colleagues to evacuate everyone. He (the suspect) was still around but after that we didn't see him," he added.

The attacker is yet to be identified.

Soldiers and police officials guide members of the public from inside a cordoned off area on a street outside Gare Centrale in Brussels on June 20, 2017, after an explosion in the Belgian capital. (Photo by AFP)

Around one hour after the incident, the country’s federal crisis center announced that the situation was "under control.”

Belgian prosecutors have announced that they are treating the incident as a terrorist attack.

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The country has been on high alert since Daesh bombers attacked the city's airport and metro in March 2016, killing 32 people and injuring hundreds more.


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