Loud “mystery bangs” echoing across London sparked invasion and war fears among residents before the booming was traced to a private fireworks display on the Thames.
Londoners were left fearing they were being invaded after a fireworks display boomed across large swathes of the capital on Thursday night.
Social media users in Catford, Canary Wharf and Crystal Palace reported hearing unexplained loud bangs after 9.30pm, with many saying the noises sounded like explosions.
The source of the eerie booms initially remained unclear, but they were later traced to a fireworks display in Greenwich.
The fireworks were part of a private event held on a boat operating between the Old Royal Naval College, Greenwich Pier and the former Greenwich Power Station Pier.
One stunned resident wrote: “I’m in Eltham and thought it might actually be World War Three.”
It is understood the entire display accidentally went off within the space of just two minutes, amplifying the noise across south and east London.
The Old Royal Naval College has been contacted for comment.
The disturbance came soon after mysterious lights lit up the night sky across parts of the UK, prompting confusion and wild speculation online.
Some people joked about UFOs and apocalyptic events, but experts quickly offered a more down-to-earth explanation.
Jim NR Dale, a meteorologist with British Weather Services, said the shimmering columns were likely “light pillars”.
Ice-containing clouds, usually found miles high in the atmosphere, can descend lower during cold winter nights. When light from ground sources strikes these floating ice crystals, they reflect it back downwards, creating pillar-like beams.
As a result, people across the UK were not seeing a single phenomenon, but multiple light pillars appearing at the same time.
