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Close to 30 people were injured following the explosion in Stamford Hill in north London, which may have been caused by a mobile phone.

Other sources indicate excessive fuel may have sparked the fiery blast.

"It appears that the explosion was caused by fuel and not the smartphone, although there definitely were multiple smartphones placed inside the pile to be burned.”

Around thirty individuals are believed to have been treated for their injuries, with ten being taken to hospital.

Jewish ambulance service Hatzola and London Ambulance Service attended the scene to treat burn victims.

The severity of the injuries have not been confirmed.

Hatzola commented on the incident, saying: "Earlier this evening we provided a mega response team to a major incident as a result of a fire explosion, alongside London Ambulance, London Ambulance Hart, and London Fire Brigade Hackey."

Videos recorded at the event depict the bonfire being lit, followed by a large explosion which engulfed the crowd standing just a few metres from the fire.

The Rebbe or leader of the Chassidic Jewish movement had made a speech stressing the “dangers” of mobile phones and declared he would be burning one.

Lag BaOmer is a key Jewish festival which commemorates the death of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, who lived in the second century.

Rabbi Shimon was the first to teach the mystical dimension of the Torah known as the Kabbalah, and is the author of the classic text of Kabbalah, the Zohar.

The Rabbi instructed his disciples to celebrate the date as “the day of my joy”.

There are major festivities around the world in Jewish communities on this day, and in particular in the mountain village of Meron in northern Israel where the Rabbi is buried.

Thousands of pilgrims travel to Meron on this date from around the world.

https://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/954504/Jewish-Lag-BaOmer-celebration-Stamford-Hill-London-several-injured-explosion