The sonic boom of a fighter jet breaking the sound barrier reverberated through the French capital Paris and nearby suburbs on Wednesday, the Paris police prefecture said on Twitter.
The shockwave rattled windows, made birds fly up and was heard in every part of the city, leading to a surge in phone calls to police.
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Explosion in Paris heard from games at Rolland Garros pic.twitter.com/3eVhSLrXQQ
— . (@wiIffff) September 30, 2020
The jet was scrambled as an emergency measure and had received permission to break the sound barrier, the French defense ministry said.
The ministry also said the jet had been deployed to assist a commercial airliner which had lost contact with air traffic control.
The police urged people not to call emergency services.
Paris has been tense since a knife attack outside the former offices of satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo on Friday.
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