Boston explosion update: What happened in Massachusetts today? Earthquake, blast and boom details

Several Boston residents reported hearing a massive explosion on Saturday. While authorities are yet to issue a statement on what exactly happened, several social media users speculated if there was an earthquake in Massachusetts.

An explosion was reported across Boston on Saturday (Unsplash)

“Reports of a “large explosion” felt across several townships in the Boston area as well as Rhode Island. Buildings were felt shaking, but USGS has not registered an earthquake. Police are unsure what just happened. No confirmed visible fire or smoke yet,” one local wrote on X, platform formerly known as Twitter.

“Just felt one of these north of Boston. Huge boom. at 2:11 PM. Bizarre,” another person added.

“Reports of an explosion hears around Boston I believe are going to be a rather significant bolide/meteor entering the atmosphere. Very large “flash” detected by GOES-19 GLM that does not correlate with active thunderstorms. #MAwx,” a third one tweeted.

Earthquake in Union County

Meanwhile, the United States Geological Survey reported two earthquakes in Union County, South Carolina, Friday evening. It is 240 miles from Boston. So, the two events are not linked. The USGS said a 1.8-magnitude earthquake hit around 6:05 PM local time Friday.

Another quake was recorded at around 6:22 PM.