South Korea said today that a massive explosion previously reported to have created a massive mushroom cloud in North Korean near the border with China never took place.
The mushroom-shaped cloud - initially detected by South Korean intelligence authorities and widely reported as possible explosion smoke by South Korean news media - is believed to have been a natural cloud, said Deputy Unification Minister Lee Bong-jo during a weekly news briefing.
"We believe that there was no explosion in the place where intelligence authorities had previously suspected that there were signs of an explosion," Mr Lee said.
The size of the reported explosion and its timing on the 56th anniversary of North Korea 's founding had raised speculation that it might be a nuclear test.
Experts say they do not believe the blast near the Chinese border was a nuclear test. North Korea acknowledged there was a massive explosion but said it took place in a different area as part of demolition work for a hydroelectric project.
On Thursday, it allowed Britain's ambassador and other diplomats in Pyongyang to visit the site of the September 9th explosion to verify its claims that it was not caused by a nuclear test.