Magherafelt woman set for emotional reunion with parents after Brussels terror attacks
Christelle McKillen, 26 will travel to meet her worried parents in France on Thursday, in their first meeting since the devastating events of last Tuesday, which has left 35 people dead and hundreds injured.
Speaking to the Mail on Tuesday from her office at Schuman in the EU quarter, the former St Mary’s Grammar pupil recalled the panic.
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Hide Ad“I left home for work early on that morning, so I hadn’t really heard that anything was going on.
“When I got to the office here, there was no-one around, and then I started getting all these messages from my family and friends, to see if I was alright,” said Christelle.
“When I looked out of the window, it was like a war zone, there were armed police and soldiers everywhere and everyone was running around just trying to get home.
“It was almost impossible to get a taxi. It was very scary and very unreal.
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Hide Ad“My housemate was at the airport that morning when the bombs went off, I myself would use that tube station on a regular basis, it is the one I normally use.”
One week on from the bombings, Christelle said the atmosphere remains filled with tension and unease, with three armed police standing guard outside her office, a constant reminder. She added: “I am looking forward to meeting my parents, I know how worried they are.”