Government says sorry for treatment of 22 March attack victims

Belgium's federal government has apologised to the victims of the 22 March Brussels terror attacks for administrative confusion and "inattention" surrounding the aftermath of the attacks.

Associations representing those wounded and the families of the deceased had a three-hour meeting on Monday with prime minister Charles Michel and other government representatives. Since the attacks, many victims say they have felt "abandoned" by the authorities.

Serge Stroobants, a representative of the "Life4Brussels" association, told RTL: "We were listened to, we listened as well to the views of the government. We listened to the actions that have been taken and we hope that any future initiatives are in line with our expectations."

The issue of compensation, delays in making insurance claims and obtaining the official status of victim were all discussed.

Justice minister Koen Geens said: "We showed our empathy. We also offered our apologies for things that have not gone well. What is clear is that, somewhere along the line, mistakes have been made."