[meteorite-list] Mysterious Blasts Rattle Israelis

From: Ron Baalke <baalke_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Fri Oct 28 12:29:56 2005
Message-ID: <200510281628.j9SGSSG09938_at_zagami.jpl.nasa.gov>

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3160722,00.html

Mysterious blasts rattle Israelis
ynetnews.com
October 28, 2005
 
Dozens of readers tell Ynet about loud "explosions" heard overnight.
Police: Likely sonic booms created by Air Force planes. Army: It wasn't us

Late-night mystery: Dozens of readers from across Israel told Ynet about
unusually loud "explosions" and tremors throughout the night, but
attempts to shed light on the source of the blasts has been met with
uncertainty.

At least one possibility has been discounted, with the country's
seismological institute saying no earthquake occurred.

Police officials estimated the loud sounds were a result of sonic booms
created by IDF fighter jets on their way to attacking Gaza, but the army
insisted there was no unusual Air Force activity across the country
overnight.

Central Police District Spokesman Yigal Haddad said police received
numerous calls overnight from concerned citizens reporting explosions.

"The residents reported explosions heard from Netanya (north of Tel
Aviv) to Rishon Lezion (south of Tel Aviv.) Many residents said the
explosions came from the direction of the sea," he said. "Police
personnel who heard the blasts themselves said they sounded like sonic
booms. We still don't know what caused the explosions. We had similar
reports during the week."

Meanwhile, police in Haifa also received calls regarding a possible
earthquake, but no damages were reported.

The nighttime explosions have apparently become a routine occurrence
throughout the Sharon region, north of Tel Aviv. In recent nights there
have been other reported about blasts heard in the town of Herzliya, but
the source of them is unclear.

"It was a scary blast. The windows shook and we felt the entire house
shake," a resident of Kadima told Ynet. "The first thing that came to
mind was a terror attack - we weren't able to figure out what cause the
first blast, and minutes later a second blast followed."

A Herzliya resident who returned home at 2 a.m. also reported a loud
explosion.

"A huge sound rocked the area - I thought it may be the influence of the
alcohol, but then several car alarms were activated and dogs were
barking in fright. I guess that's what they feel in Gaza and Lebanon
when we create sonic booms," he said.

Yevgeny Sherman from Haifa told Ynet the blast was so powerful it
knocked his door out. Sherman said he thought an earthquake was behind
the unusual occurrence.

"It wasn't like an explosion, but rather, the entire building shook," he
said.

Raanan Ben-Zur, Anat Shalev, Avi Cohen, Efrat Weiss, Hanan Greenberg,
and Ahiya Raved contributed to the report
Received on Fri 28 Oct 2005 12:28:28 PM PDT