Mysterious Loud Bangs Heard in Hebei, Henan, and Anhui but Official Reason Unreleased

Several places in Hebei, Henan, and Anhui experienced unidentified loud noises two days ago (March 18), causing unease among netizens. However, authorities have not provided any explanations even after two days. Over the past few years, mysterious loud noises have been reported in various parts of China, with officials never clarifying the causes.

According to the Xiangxiang Morning Post, on March 18, loud unidentified noises were heard in multiple locations in Hebei, Henan, and Anhui. In Anhui’s Lu’an and Hebei’s Cangzhou, the sounds were extremely loud and accompanied by ground vibrations.

Netizens shared their reactions:

“My balcony glass was shaking at the time, it startled me.”

“Is it a mining explosion? We hear these loud noises every now and then.”

“I heard three sounds at noon at home.”

“I remember a similar incident in Cangzhou a few years ago, even the glass was vibrating.”

“It could be a test of a new weapon.”

“For events that cause widespread disturbance to the public, the initiating unit should report promptly, or else the emergency management department should investigate.”

“Don’t worry, they will announce it tonight.”

As of today, there has been no response from the local authorities. Media reports mention that since 2025, the Seismological Bureau of Tongling City, Anhui Province, has detected loud noises covering the entire urban area, accompanied by vibrations. Through waveform data analysis, the Seismological Bureau initially ruled out natural earthquakes and mine explosions, attributing it to a phenomenon known as a high-altitude sound burst, which occurs when an aircraft flies at supersonic speeds, creating shockwaves that reach the ground and cause explosion-like sounds.

However, Tongling’s authorities never confirmed this conclusion, and the matter was eventually dropped.

Many netizens questioned the Tongling Seismological Bureau’s explanation: “What kind of sound burst could cover so many areas?”

“Could the underground be secretly hollowed out? It’s impossible for high-altitude sound bursts to affect multiple regions and cities several times.”

“Some of these loud noises are not from fighter jets anymore, it feels like the approach of an earthquake; there might be a big earthquake in a year or two.”

Looking back at previous reports from mainland China, in the early hours of March 3, 2023, residents of multiple cities in Bozhou, Anhui heard several loud noises, resembling thunder or an earthquake, but officials did not detect any abnormal weather or earthquake warnings.

On May 9, 2022, reports of a sudden loud noise in Hangzhou and Shaoxing went viral online. Local meteorological staff stated that there were no thunderstorms monitored at that time. The Seismological Bureau also ruled out an earthquake.

On April 1, 2022, reports of unidentified loud noises in multiple locations in Sichuan became a trending topic on Chinese social media platforms like Weibo and Baidu.

On the morning of January 18, 2016, Zhangzhou City in Fujian experienced an unidentified loud noise.

Around 11 o’clock in the morning on July 22, 2014, residents in multiple areas of Taizhou City, Jiangsu, heard a loud noise.

Around 11 o’clock in the morning on November 5, 2012, mysterious loud noises were reported in Taizhou City.

Back in 2009 on January 8, Chongqing’s main urban area suddenly heard three loud noises, heard in areas such as Yubei, Jiangbei, and Nan’an, among others.

For all these loud noises, authorities have never explained the causes.

Some netizens believe that this could be a phenomenon known in ancient times as the “heavenly drumming,” a sign of dynastic change.