Just in: Major explosion heard in Paris during French Open

A “large explosion of unknown source” was heard in Paris and surrounding suburbs in France on Wednesday, 30 September 2020 during the French Open. Update: It was a sonic boom.

Short video clips are also being shared online as concerned citizens take to social media. One netizen claims it was a “jetplane passing the sound barrier”. Another joked:

“That explosion heard in Paris was all of TT gasping for breath when we heard Serena had withdrawn”.

Paris explosion: Here’s what we know

Watch: ‘Loud boom’ heard during French Open

The explosion in Paris can be heard clearly during the #FrenchOpen2020 pic.twitter.com/PqnO6CovgH

— Amy Mek (@AmyMek) September 30, 2020

Un « bruit d’explosion » entendu autour de Paris, causé par un avion de chasse qui a franchi le mur du son https://t.co/1aKRZfwluJ

— M@NU (@ManuBresset) September 30, 2020

Update: Source of Paris explosion confirmed

The French police have since confirmed that the explosion was sonic boom from a military jet. The update from the Préfecture de Police can be viewed here.

“There is no explosion, it [was] a fighter plane that crossed the sound barrier.”

Préfecture de Police, translated tweet.

Netizens who heard the sonic boom shared their experiences online. One user said they heard it East of Paris “followed by a two minutes roar”. One has to “appreciate Concorde even more”, Frank added.

In addition, a user known as Jon said the sonic boom was a “good way to weed out some fake news accounts”. Another citizen on the Quai François Mauriac said:

“Sound of explosion near the François Mitterrand Library, we were all afraid that it was an attack.”

This is a developing story, more details to follow.

Beirut explosion

Back in August, two massive blasts rocked Beirut in Lebanon and left the port area of the city in devastation. Footage shared on social media at the time also showed a large mushroom-shaped cloud.

The second blast left shops and businesses in the Hamra commercial district in rubble, while reporters close to the scene confirmed that entire shopfronts were destroyed, with shattered windows and wrecked cars in the street.

Al Jazeera’s Zeina Khodr reports live from the scene:

“The force of the blast was massive. I was walking on the street and I was thrown to the ground. There’s panic and chaos; glass everywhere.”