Brussels attacks 10 years on: Swede Katarina Viktorsson recognised as 36th victim

On the tenth anniversary of the Brussels terrorist attacks, Swedish national Katarina Viktorsson, who took her own life earlier this year, has been recognised as the 36th victim. Her name was added on Sunday to the memorial at Brussels Airport, beneath that of her mother Berit, who died in the second explosion at the airport.

Katarina Viktorsson was a Swedish woman, mother of two children, who lived in Brussels. Her mother, Berit Viktorsson, came to Belgium in March 2016 to celebrate a cousin’s birthday. She was due to fly back to Sweden on 22 March. At the airport, Berit was standing close to the terrorist Ibrahim El Bakraoui. When he detonated the second bomb there, she was killed.

Her daughter Katarina testified at the terrorism trial that she had “not lived, but merely survived” for seven years following her mother’s death. Their bond had been very close.

The Swedish woman also felt abandoned by the Belgian authorities. Victim support services did not respond when she called, and she struggled to get her sessions with a psychologist reimbursed. She was eventually diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Viktorsson took her own life earlier this year. “Her death reminds us that, for some, 22 March never ended, and that the struggle to live remains a constant challenge,” stated the victims’ organisation Life for Brussels, according to Het Nieuwsblad.

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A total of 32 people were killed and 340 injured in the attacks at the airport in Zaventem and Maalbeek metro station. Following the trial, three more individuals were recognised as victims in 2023. Katarina Viktorsson’s name was added on Sunday as the 36th victim on the memorial at the airport.

A minute’s silence was observed on Sunday in the airport’s departure hall in the presence of King Philippe, Queen Mathilde and prime minister Bart De Wever. Victims and their relatives spoke. A ceremony was also held at Maalbeek.

^{Commemoration of the 22/03/2016 terror attacks in Brussels Airport © BELGA PHOTO BENOIT DOPPAGNE}

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