Loud Explosion Heard In Pakistan's Dera Ghazi Khan City With Nuclear Facility; Officials Say 'Sonic Boom'

Pakistan authorities on Friday said that the sound of a loud explosion in Punjab province could be due to a sonic boom as there was no information of a bombing incident or an act of sabotage.

The loud thud in the vicinity of Dera Ghazi Khan town in southern Punjab caused panic and soon it started trending on social media. Videos circulating on X showed people vacating the area even as rescue teams and police personnel were moving around.

Pakistan’s nuclear research site is in the neighbourhood.

DG Khan Commissioner Nasir Mehmood, in a video statement on social media, said, “An explosion was heard in the city at noon” but all the security agencies and eyewitnesses refuted reports of any bomb blast or other incident.

“The departments concerned have said that no such incident took place in DG Khan or adjoining areas,” he said.

The commissioner also said that noise was likely caused by the “breakage of sound barrier,” adding that such incidents were “normal”.

Separately, a statement issued by DG Khan Commissioner’s spokesperson Mazhar Sheerani confirmed that a loud explosion was heard in the city.

“The departments concerned have presented an initial report after investigation,” he said, adding that there were no reports of any kind of terrorism, vandalism, accident, or damage as per Rescue 1122, police, sensitive institutions or public.

He also said that there was a strong possibility of a sound barrier broken by a jet but “final confirmation is pending.” He, however, stated that no loss of life or any other damage was reported.

Soon after the incident, ‘Dera Ghazi Khan’ and ‘blast’ started trending on social media platform X, including speculations about the incident taking place in the vicinity of “Pakistan’s nuclear research site”. However, it has not been confirmed.