LIVE BLOG: Bomb attacks in Brussels

French President Francois Hollande said the attacks in Brussels on Tuesday that killed at least 26 people struck at "the whole of Europe".

"Through the attacks in Brussels, the whole of Europe has been hit," Hollande said in a statement, urging the continent to take "vital steps in the face of the seriousness of the threat".

French Prime Minister Manuel Valls said: "We are at war. Over the past few months in Europe we have endured several acts of war."

France, which neighbours Belgium to the south, was hit by two major  attacks in 2015 and several of the jihadists behind them came from Brussels.

"France will implacably continue the fight against terrorism both on the international level and at home," said Hollande.

Attacks on November 13 in Paris claimed 130 lives, 10 months after attacks on the satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo and a Jewish supermarket left 17 dead.

French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve earlier announced that Paris was deploying 1,600 additional police to border crossings and air, sea and rail infrastructure after the Brussels attacks.

Germany and the Netherlands also announced stepped up security measures at borders, airports and rail stations.

With a reported 11 dead at the Brussels airport and 15 dead at the Maalbeek Metro station, the total death toll in Tuesday's attacks in Brussels - labelled a "kamikaze" attack by the state prosecutor - now stands at least 26.

15 people have been killed in the explosion that took place in the Maalbeek Metro station, according to the Brussels Intermunicipal Transport Company.

All Telenet hotspots, providing WiFi access across Brussels, will be free to use in Brussels in the wake of the attacks, according to the Belgian Crisis Center.

The defence spokesperson for the British anti-immigrant United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP) said on Tuesday that the attacks in Brussels proved that the "Schengen free movement and lax border controls are a threat to our security".

"There are 94 returned jihadists currently living in Molenbeek, Brussels," claimed Mike Hookem MEP in a statement.

"This fact alone should alert people to the fact that open borders are putting the lives of European citizens at risk."

France and the UK have ramped up security measures in the wake of the attacks in Brussels.

The UK's Scotland Yard announced that police numbers would be stepped up at key locations, while French authorities announced that security would be increased at airports, train stations and metros.

The US embassy in Brussels issued a warning to its citizens in the city to keep safe by "sheltering in place and avoiding all public transportation":

All Eurostar journeys between London and Brussels have been suspended, according to the company's Twitter account:

The Royal Palace of Brussels, the official palace of the King and Queen of Belgium, has reportedly been put on lockdown after a suspect package was found, according to Belgian media reports.

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte says that Belgium has "again been hit by cowardly and murderous attacks. Our hearts go out to the victims and next of kin.

"The Netherlands stands ready to help and support our southern neighbors in any possible way."

He added that "extra alertness is necessary, also in our country. We will take all necessary precautionary measures."

A meeting is to be called on Tuesday of his government's Ministerial Crisis Committee to discuss the attacks.
 

At least 21 have been confirmed dead in the blasts at the Brussels Airport and Maalbeek Metro station, according to firefighters at the scenes.

Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven has condemned the attacks in Brussels.

"It is an attack against democratic Europe," he said in a statement.

"We will never accept that terrorists attack our open societies."