Black smoke is seen rising in North London, near Islington, after residents reported what sounded like an "explosion" accompanied by a flash of light, with many saying it was a bolt of lightning and thunder. A Twitter user uploaded a photo captioned: "Huge flash of light followed by sound of massive explosion and plume of smoke in North London".
Another person tweeted: "I just heard a very loud bang/explosion in North London. Initially I thought it was thunder but apparently people across London heard it too."
Another resident said their internet connection dropped after they heard the sounds: "Just heard a massive explosion twice in Stoke Newington. Confirmed lightning (we were all outside on the street with neighbours when it struck the second time). Our internet dropped out."
Speculation has sparked as to the exact cause of the loud bang, with some even claiming it could have been a meteorite.
A witness told MyLondon: "I'm in Highbury, I heard two enormously loud explosions - much louder than thunder or fireworks. The first one was at 17:40 then another about 10 minutes later - very similar to the first."
He added that others saw a 'bluey-white flash' and some are theorising that it might be a meteorite, although this has not been confirmed.
