Air Alarm! Italians Frightened After Fighter Jets Break Sound Barrier - Reports

The Italian Air Force scrambled two fighter jets after a passenger plane had lost contact with ground services.

Residents of several Italian cities, including Milan, Varese, Como, Monza and Bergamo were alarmed by booming noises after two of the country's Air Force aircraft broke the sound barrier, local media reported Thursday.

After the so-called sonic booms occurred at 11:15 a.m. local time, people started ringing the fire emergency service, the civil defense service and other state services. 

People began sharing their fears over social networks, assuming that two powerful explosions could have occurred in the country's north. According to the newspaper Il Giornale, people in several regions began leaving their houses, while even some state institutions had been evacuated.

However, the Italian Air Force later reported that the booms had been caused by two Eurofighter jets breaking the sound barrier after the pilots had received permission amid an emergency situation in Italy's airspace.

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The two jets were scrambled after a Boeing 777 plane, belonging to Air France, had lost contact with Italian ground services on its way from Reunion Island to Paris. After the passenger plane restored contact, the jets returned to their base near the city of Treviso.

Despite the explanation by the country's air force, Bergamo's public prosecutor's office has requested more information on the incident from the relevant military institutions.