A jet was struck by lightning shortly after takeoff in Belgium on Sunday, writes dailymail.co.uk.

A passenger plane was also struck by a huge electrical bolt in the storm, forcing the pilots to divert and abandon the flight to Egypt.

The TUI aircraft was travelling from Brussels Airport to the seaside resort of Hurghada when it was hit. According to TUI spokesman Piet Demeyere, the plane returned to the airport as a precaution.

Meanwhile, dashcam footage from a car on the Brussels ring road captured the huge strike on the cargo plane bound for Qatar. The bolt of lightning appeared to travel straight through the aircraft with the impact briefly lighting up the sky.

“But despite the impact, the plane did not have to return”, a spokesperson for Brussels Airport told Dutch language Belgian news site HLN. Passengers on the TUI flight reported hearing a loud bang and a “burning smell”.

Data from aircraft tracking website FlightRadar24 shows that the plane departed Brussels at 1.35pm local time on December 22. A map showing the flight’s route shows the plane travelling in a large narrow loop before returning to the airport. After the plane landed the passengers were taken to hotels and were boarded onto a new flight on Monday.