The Bengaluru Boom
Just after lunchtime, a single boom rattled windows from one end of Bengaluru to the other.
What was reported
At around 1:20 pm on 20 May 2020, people across Bengaluru, from the airport in the north to Electronic City in the south, heard a loud boom. Windows and doors shook, and many people thought it was an earthquake or an explosion.
The state's earthquake monitoring centre said its instruments had recorded no tremor. For a few hours, social media filled with guesses, from a meteor to a UFO.
Explanations offered
The Ministry of Defence said the sound came from a military test aircraft going supersonic, flying between 36,000 and 40,000 feet, well outside the city. A sonic boom from that height can be heard 65 to 80 km away.
- When
- 20 May 2020
- Where
- Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
- Witnesses
- Much of the city
- Status
- Explained
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.