Loud bangs in Mazarron explained as military jets cause sonic booms

Residents in Mazarron were startled by loud bangs at the beginning of October as sonic booms from military exercises were heard across parts of the municipality. The powerful noises were heard on the afternoon of Tuesday, October 6, at around 5:00pm, and sounded similar to explosions, prompting questions among local residents about what had caused the sudden disturbance. The sounds were reportedly audible from various different areas of the Mazarron municipality.

Why residents heard explosion-like bangs in Mazarron

The startling noises were a result of ongoing exercises being carried out by the Spanish Air and Space Force as part of the Tactical Leadership Programme, based at the Albacete Air Base. The military exercises included supersonic flights, which can produce sonic booms that are audible from very far away.

Spanish military exercises bring supersonic bangs to the Costa Calida

The exercises had been taking place since the final days of September, and are scheduled to continue until October 12, excluding weekends. According to Mazarron’s Civil Protection councillor, Carmen Navarro, the announced operating hours were between 2:30pm and 6:30pm, during which time local residents can expect these loud and initially frightening bangs.

Luckily, while the sudden bangs may have sounded alarming to residents, they were ultimately nothing more than a moment’s fright.

The Region of Murcia startled by the sudden sounds

The incident was not isolated to Mazarron, however. Similar noises were heard in other parts of the Region of Murcia on Monday, October 5, when several loud bangs were reported between around 5:15pm and 5:30pm. Residents in Murcia and areas around the Mar Menor reported hearing the sounds, with some describing them as resembling explosions. Some people said the force of the noises was enough to make windows, shutters and doors shake.

For residents who were caught off guard by the sudden sounds, the explanation provided some reassurance: the bangs were not the result of an explosion, accident or emergency, but rather the sound of supersonic aircraft flying overhead.