Families reunite after plane lands in Sanford from Brussels

SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. — When a plane from Brussels landed at Orlando Sanford International Airport Tuesday, passengers were greeted on the runway by the flashing blue lights from a caravan of law enforcement vehicles.

“They just told us there was a situation, we’re just going to take extra time,” passenger Brandon Jackson said. “Security told us to be patient. Then the cars and vans started pulling up. Then everybody got the idea something was wrong.”

That was when passengers said they learned that two bombs rocked Brussels International Airport shortly after they took off Tuesday.

Thirty-four people were reported dead and hundreds were injured in the bombings.

Officials initially said the passengers were aware of the bombings, but once in Sanford, passengers said they were not told anything until their plane was on the ground.

The plane was stopped on the tarmac and wasn’t allowed to approach the gate in Sanford.

Passengers were separated from their bags and were bused to the terminal where they were processed by customs.

Meanwhile, bomb-sniffing dogs were searching their luggage, which remained on the runway.

Once the passengers got through customs, emotional reunions filled the airport as friends and famlies held their loved ones.

“We were just there before the bomb went off,” said passenger Walter Hesbeens.

Walter Hesbeens, his wife, Rita Hesbeens, and his mother boarded the flight just after 8 a.m.

Moments later, the two bombs went off and then a third at the subway station.

“She (my daughter) called me right when we landed and she was really upset,” said Rita Hesbeens.

The Hesbeens, who were born and raised in Belgium but have been U.S. citizens for years, said they are happy to be home and safe

“You just don’t think about it until afterward, how close you could have been to it. It was very scary,” said Rita Hesbeen.

Law enforcement did not immediately say what security concerns they had about the plane.

Airport officials in Sanford said the flight was the only one from Brussels to make it to the U.S. Tuesday.

The Islamic State terrorist organization claimed responsibility for the bombings Tuesday, officials reported.

A flight to Brussels from Sanford was scheduled for 2:40 p.m. but passengers were rerouted to Miami and would be flown into a different Belgian city, officials said.

Cox Media Group