A nurse shows fragments of iron shrapnel from a nail bomb, found in victim's bodies. Photo / Getty Images
A nurse shows fragments of iron shrapnel from a nail bomb, found in victim's bodies. Photo / Getty Images
These horrific images show the twisted and bloodied pieces of shrapnel doctors have removed from those wounded in the devastating terrorist bomb blasts.
Doctors showed the huge pieces of metal to the press and Belgium's royal family after they were removed from patients they treated in the aftermath of the airport and metro terror attacks.
Belgian King Philippe and Queen Mathilde inspected the fragments during a visit to speak with survivors at Gasthuisberg hospital in Louvain, Belgium.
King Philippe of Belgium and Queen Mathilde of Belgium look at fragments of iron shrapnel from a nail bomb. Photo / Getty Images
Homemade bombs such as those carried out on Tuesday derive their deadliness from shrapnel, which is flung at high speeds from inside the explosive and at the Shaerbeek home of the attackers, police found a bomb packed with nails which was designed to inflict maximum injuries.
Some 270 people are wounded following the attacks in the airport and metro station which saw three bombs kill 34 people.
A statement released on behalf of King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of Belgium on Tuesday described the acts as "odious and cowardly".
They said: "The heartfelt thoughts of the King and the Queen are firstly with the victims and their families and the emergency services which are making every effort to help the victims."
X-ray image of a person injured during the Brussels terror attacks shows a big nail or screw in their chest. Photo / EPA
Among those injured was flight attendant Nidhi Chaphekar, who was left with burns to more than 15 percent of her body and a fractured foot.
The image of Chaphekar taken right after the blast was one of the most searing photographs taken Tuesday. It showed the 40-year-old mother of two from Mumbai, her bright yellow uniform ripped across her chest.
Her hair was caked with soot, and blood streaked down her face. Meanwhile, Amit Motwani, a Jet Airways flight purser who was also injured in the airport blast, was being treated for injuries to his eye and ear.
Meanwhile, the driver of the subway train bombed in Brussels this week immediately helped victims despite the horror and fear of the attack - but he insists he's not a hero.
A victim of the Brussels metro attack receives first aid. Photo / Getty Images
Christian Delhasse described to Belgian state broadcaster RTBF doing "what I had to do". He's reportedly already back at work, as the Belgian public transport system gradually gets back toward normal following the deadly attacks at the Maelbeek station and Brussels airport.
Delhasse posted a statement on his Facebook page saying: "I'm a metro driver who did his work in specific circumstances. Any other driver in my place would have done the same thing. The heroes are our firefighters, our forces of order, our army."
He urged respect for "the victims we couldn't pull out".
