Tuesday, 09 April 2024 | PNS | DEHRADUN
Several loud noises sounding like explosions in Premnagar and FRI areas of Dehradun caused by a sonic boom caused panic among locals on Monday. Many people called the police stating that they heard loud explosions in these areas. The people rushed out of their homes and offices in these areas after they heard the loud boom fearing that it could be an earthquake or some kind of blast. After getting multiple complaints, the Dehradun senior superintendent of police Ajai Singh along with the respective police station in-charges visited both the areas but found no traces of any blast.
Since several locals verified the claims about hearing what sounded like explosions, the police continued the investigation. The SSP said that the police approached various agencies including the Indian Air Force officials regarding the matter and as per the preliminary information, the people heard a sonic boom from IAF fighter jets possibly on a practice sortie. He said that the police cannot reveal much about it due to legal reasons but the public does not need to be scared. He requested the public to maintain patience and not panic over such noises which are quite normal during the movement of fighter jets. If anyone faces any problem due to such occurrences, they can inform the police control room, he added.
A sonic boom is the noise made by shock waves created by an airborne object breaking the sound barrier. Sonic booms generate enormous amounts of sound energy, sounding much like an explosion. Singh said that they had no prior information about any such activity expected to occur above the city. There was also no major damage in both areas due to the sonic boom, he added.
