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| Sonic boom heard after RAF scrambled to incident | Sonic boom heard after RAF scrambled to incident |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| RAF Typhoon jets like the one pictured were called to escort a civilian aircraft | RAF Typhoon jets like the one pictured were called to escort a civilian aircraft |
| A sonic boom has been reported across parts of the East and South East of England. | A sonic boom has been reported across parts of the East and South East of England. |
| The loud bang was heard in Essex, Cambridgeshire, Suffolk, Norfolk, Kent and parts of London at about 11:40 BST. | The loud bang was heard in Essex, Cambridgeshire, Suffolk, Norfolk, Kent and parts of London at about 11:40 BST. |
| The RAF confirmed three Quick Reaction Alert (QRA) Typhoon fighter aircraft from RAF Coningsby were launched to escort a civilian plane that had lost contact with air traffic control. | The RAF confirmed three Quick Reaction Alert (QRA) Typhoon fighter aircraft from RAF Coningsby were launched to escort a civilian plane that had lost contact with air traffic control. |
| A spokesperson said: "Communications were re-established and the aircraft was safely escorted to Stansted. The Typhoons are returning to base." | A spokesperson said: "Communications were re-established and the aircraft was safely escorted to Stansted. The Typhoons are returning to base." |
| The sonic boom was recorded by security cameras in Essex | The sonic boom was recorded by security cameras in Essex |
| An Essex Police spokesperson said: "A flight has been escorted into Stansted Airport after it lost contact with the ground. | An Essex Police spokesperson said: "A flight has been escorted into Stansted Airport after it lost contact with the ground. |
| "Contact was re-established with the plane, which had been travelling from Nice, and was escorted into the airport by RAF aircraft. | "Contact was re-established with the plane, which had been travelling from Nice, and was escorted into the airport by RAF aircraft. |
| "On the ground, our officers determined there was nothing of concern." | "On the ground, our officers determined there was nothing of concern." |
| A sonic boom occurs when an aircraft travels faster than the speed of sound, generating shockwaves that rapidly compress and decompress the air, producing an explosive noise. | A sonic boom occurs when an aircraft travels faster than the speed of sound, generating shockwaves that rapidly compress and decompress the air, producing an explosive noise. |
| While the speed of sound varies depending on the altitude, it is about 660mph (1,060km/h) at 60,000ft (18,300m). | While the speed of sound varies depending on the altitude, it is about 660mph (1,060km/h) at 60,000ft (18,300m). |
| The sound, often described as an explosion or thunderclap, can be heard over a large area because it moves with the plane, similar to the wake of a boat spreading out behind a vessel. | The sound, often described as an explosion or thunderclap, can be heard over a large area because it moves with the plane, similar to the wake of a boat spreading out behind a vessel. |
| The boom has been widely reported across social media. | The boom has been widely reported across social media. |
| One person in Chelmsford in Essex said: "It made the whole of the upper part of the house shake." | One person in Chelmsford in Essex said: "It made the whole of the upper part of the house shake." |
| A woman in Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk said it "rattled" her back door, while in north Kent one person described how it "shook the whole house - we thought there had been an explosion". | A woman in Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk said it "rattled" her back door, while in north Kent one person described how it "shook the whole house - we thought there had been an explosion". |
| In Burwell, Cambridgeshire, another woman wrote: "Thought something blew up in my loft". | In Burwell, Cambridgeshire, another woman wrote: "Thought something blew up in my loft". |
| In Bexley, London, Bryony Percival was grooming her mother's horse, Dixie, at a stable when she heard what she initially thought was thunder. | |
| She told the BBC: "I actually felt the ground shake, so I thought, was it an explosion? | |
| "My heart dropped a bit. The horse reacted - she was very alert. | |
| "It was just weird. It sounded a bit like a gas explosion." | |
| Conor Kehoe and Manisha Dev were watching TV in Essex when the "house shook" | Conor Kehoe and Manisha Dev were watching TV in Essex when the "house shook" |
| Conor Kehoe, 33, was watching television with his fiancee Manisha Dev, 32, in Braintree when they heard "a very loud bang that shook the room". | Conor Kehoe, 33, was watching television with his fiancee Manisha Dev, 32, in Braintree when they heard "a very loud bang that shook the room". |
| He told the BBC he initially thought his brother had fallen in the shower but then they realised it was coming from outside. | He told the BBC he initially thought his brother had fallen in the shower but then they realised it was coming from outside. |
| "So, we went outside and my neighbours were coming out as well, wondering what it was," he said. | "So, we went outside and my neighbours were coming out as well, wondering what it was," he said. |
| "I could hear the jet itself and thought jets can't do a sonic boom unless it's overland - and unless it's absolutely necessary. | "I could hear the jet itself and thought jets can't do a sonic boom unless it's overland - and unless it's absolutely necessary. |
| "It just sounded something like a bowling ball landing in a bath - like a thunderous clap but very echoey." | "It just sounded something like a bowling ball landing in a bath - like a thunderous clap but very echoey." |
| Ms Dev, who was visiting from Singapore, said: "I was really shocked because, I mean, I've never experienced that in Singapore, so I thought it was like... a bomb." | Ms Dev, who was visiting from Singapore, said: "I was really shocked because, I mean, I've never experienced that in Singapore, so I thought it was like... a bomb." |
| Additional reporting by James Kelly - BBC Verify | Additional reporting by James Kelly - BBC Verify |