Defence Ministry clarifies on loud 'thundering' sound heard in Bengaluru on Wednesday
The Defence Ministry stated that it was routine IAF Test Flight with a supersonic profile while ruling out the possibility of the noise being an earthquake.
- India News
- 2 min read

Ministry of Defence has issued a clarification over the loud 'thundering' sound heard in several parts of Bengaluru on Wednesday afternoon that triggered panic among the city residents. The Defence Ministry stated that it was routine IAF Test Flight with a supersonic profile while ruling out the possibility of the rattling noise being a mild earthquake.
Defence Ministry clarifies
#Update
— PRO Bengaluru, Ministry of Defence (@Prodef_blr) May 20, 2020
It was a routine IAF Test Flight involving a supersonic profile which took off from Bluru Airport and flew in the allotted airspace well outside City limits. The aircraft was of Aircraft Systems and Testing Establishment (ASTE) @IAF_MCC @SpokespersonMoD
In a series of tweets later in the day, the Defence Ministry said that the sound was by a routine Indian Air Force (IAF) flight and was flying outside the city limits. "It was a routine IAF Test Flight involving a supersonic profile which took off from Bluru Airport and flew in the allotted airspace well outside City limits. The aircraft was of Aircraft Systems and Testing Establishment (ASTE) whose Test Pilots & Flight Test Engineers routinely test out all aeroplanes. The sonic boom was probably heard while the aircraft was decelerating from supersonic to subsonic speed between 36,000 and 40000 feet altitude. The aircraft was far away from the city limits when this occurred. The sound of a sonic boom can be heard and felt by an observer even when the aircraft is flying as far away as 65 to 80 kilometres away from the person."
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The activity reported in Bengaluru is not due to an Earthquake. The Seismometers did not capture any Ground Vibration as generally happens during a mild Tremor. The activity is purely a loud unknown noise.
— KSNDMC (@KarnatakaSNDMC) May 20, 2020
The sound was heard across the city from Kempegowda International Airport off Devanahalli in the north to Kengeri and Electronic City in the south. Many people feared it could be a mild tremor as doors and windows shook after the noise. Before the final clarification by Defence Ministry, Karnataka's state disaster monitoring centre had tweeted that it was not an earthquake.