Remembering those killed in Brussels attacks

World Today

People mourn for the victims of the bombings at the Place de la Bourse in the center of Brussels, Wednesday, March 23, 2016. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)

Victims of the attacks on Brussels’ airport and subway included commuters heading to work and travelers setting off on long-anticipated vacations. In a city that’s home to international institutions including the European Union and NATO, they came from Belgium and around the world. Among the confirmed dead:

CCTV America’s Nathan King reports.

Olivier Delespesse

Civil servant Olivier Delespesse died in the bombing at Maelbeek metro station, according to his employer, the Federation Wallonie-Bruxelles.

Deng Jingquan  

Deng Jing Quan

China confirmed one of its citizens Deng Jing Quan died in the attacks-his English-speaking friends called him “Frank.”

Deng Jingquan, of China, was among those killed in the serial terror attacks in Brussels, the Beijing News reported, citing Belgian news reports.

Deng, who also went by Frank, had been missing since Tuesday, the Beijing news reported.

Chinese government officials confirmed a Chinese national had been killed in the terror attacks, and said his surname was Deng.

“We express deep condolences over the death of our Chinese compatriot and strong condemnation on the criminal act of the terrorists,” said the Chinese embassy on its website.

David Dixon

David Dixon had texted family members to say he was safe after two bombs severely damaged Brussels airport, but he was killed shortly after when a bomber attacked the subway system.

Dixon, 53, a British citizen, was working as a computer programmer at the time of his death, which was confirmed Friday by Britain’s Foreign Office.

Friends and family had been searching for him since he failed to arrive at work Tuesday morning in the hours after the bomb attacks. Press reports indicated he lived in Brussels with his partner and their son.

“This morning we received the most terrible and devastating news about our beloved David,” said a statement sent out by officials on behalf of Dixon’s family Friday. “At this most painful time our family would gratefully appreciate it if we could be left alone to grieve in private.”

Prime Minister David Cameron said he was “deeply saddened” by the death of Dixon, who was originally from Hartlepool, in northeastern England.

Leopold Hecht

Leopold Hecht was gravely wounded in the bombing at Maelbeek subway station and died later of his injuries.

The rector of Saint-Louis University in Brussels, Pierre Jadoul, said Hecht, 20, was “one of the unfortunate victims of these barbaric acts.”

“There are no words to describe our dismay at this news,” he said in a letter to students.

Classmates lit handles and left flowers outside the university in memory of Hecht, whose Facebook profile includes pictures of a smiling young man on the ski slopes and in the great outdoors.

Alexander and Sascha Pinczowski

This 2015 family photo shows Alexander Pinczowski and his fiance Cameron Cain in Greece. Belgian authorities and the Dutch Embassy positively identified the remains of Alexander Pinczowski, and his sister, Sascha Pinczowski, who died in the terrorist bombings in Brussels. (Courtesy of the family via AP)

This 2015 family photo shows Alexander Pinczowski and his fiance Cameron Cain in Greece. (Courtesy of the family via AP)

“We received confirmation this morning from Belgian authorities and the Dutch embassy of the positive identification of the remains of Alexander and Sascha from the terrorist bombing at the Brussels Airport,” Cain said on behalf of the Pinczowski family. “We are grateful to have closure on this tragic situation, and are thankful for the thoughts and prayers from all. The family is in the process of making arrangements.”

Alexander Pinczowski had traveled to Holland to work on a craft-related business that he and Cameron were going to start together, Cain said. The couple met six years ago while taking summer courses in Durham, North Carolina. They hadn’t set a wedding date but had planned to marry within the year, Cain said.

He called Alexander “intimidatingly smart, a brilliant young man.”

Sascha Pinczowski, 26, was a 2015 graduate of Marymount Manhattan College in New York with a degree in business. She spent last summer as an intern at a catering company, Shiraz Events. Shiraz Events President Shai Tertner called her “a bright, hardworking young woman, with a great career ahead of her.”

This May 2015 family photo shows Sascha Pinczowski at her graduation from Marymount Manhattan College in New York. Belgian authorities and the Dutch Embassy positively identified the remains of Pinczowski and her brother, Alexander Pinczowski, who died in the terrorist bombings in Brussels. (Courtesy of the family via AP)

This May 2015 family photo shows Sascha Pinczowski at her graduation from Marymount Manhattan College in New York. (Courtesy of the family via AP)

Adelma Tapia Ruiz

In this Aug. 20, 2013 photo, from the personal Facebook page of Adelma Tapia Ruiz and provided by her brother Fernando Tapia Ruiz, shows Ruiz with her Belgian husband Christophe Delcambe, and their twin daughters Maureen and Alondra. (AP Photo)

In this Aug. 20, 2013 photo, from the personal Facebook page of Adelma Tapia Ruiz and provided by her brother Fernando Tapia Ruiz, shows Ruiz with her Belgian husband Christophe Delcambe, and their twin daughters Maureen and Alondra. (AP Photo)

Born in Peru, Adelma Tapia Ruiz dreamed of opening a restaurant. She had lived in Belgium for nine years but still cooked the recipes of her homeland, preparing the spicy chicken dish aji de gallina for a food festival organized by the Peruvian consulate in Brussels last year.

Tapia, 37, was killed when a bomb tore through the departures area of Brussels airport on Tuesday, her family confirmed. A split-second decision saved her husband and 4-year-old twin daughters Maureen and Alondra from sharing her fate.

Her Belgian husband, Christophe Delcambe, had taken the girls out of the check-in line to play for a moment when a loud explosion ripped through the concourse. One daughter was struck in the arm by shrapnel and is being treated in a local hospital.

Her brother, Fernando Tapia, told The Associated Press his sister was preparing to catch a flight to New York to meet up with two sisters who live in the United States.

Tapia and her husband lived in the town of Tubize, south of Brussels, and her brother said she will likely be buried in her adopted homeland.

Story by the Associated Press, China Daily, the Beijing News, and Xinhua.