Many Internet users were worried on X (formerly Twitter) after hearing strong explosions in Yonne, Aube and Loiret this Thursday evening, around 9 p.m. No worries, the noises of explosions were simply due to the passage of air force planes, Rafales, at low altitude in the department's airspace, local prefectures indicated.
“Here in Yonne, we just heard a very big boom like the house shook. And obviously if I believe Twitter, people in Auxerre, so 50 km from here, also heard a very big boom. Should I urgently open the right bottles? », asked a resident of the department.
This “explosion” seems to have been heard in at least three departments. On X, residents of Loiret and Aube reported that they had felt it. “I am from Montargis in Loiret and I confirm, my house shook, it really sounded like an explosion, I heard 2 shots,” reported a user. “We just heard an explosion in Troyes (Aube), the windows moved and everything, the fear of my life,” worried another.
A few minutes later, the Yonne prefecture wanted to reassure the population. “The prefecture informs you that passages of Air Force planes in the airspace of Yonne have caused strong detonations,” communicated the prefect of Yonne on his X account. Please do not congest the emergency call lines,” he added.
“These are two Rafale planes having broken the sound barrier as they reached their base in Saint-Dizier (Haute-Marne),” said the prefect of Centre-Val de Loire and Loiret.
When the speed of a fighter plane – such as a Rafale or a Mirage – exceeds that of sound, the sound waves form a cone at the rear of the aircraft. This causes a shock wave and suddenly changes the air pressure, giving that characteristic “boom”. Unlike a classic detonation, this noise “follows” the aircraft and persists as long as it travels faster than the sound. This is why it can be heard over such great distances almost simultaneously.
