Major blast heard across Paris: Plane breaking sound barrier sets off Twitter storm

Social media users reported hearing an explosion

Police said an 'explosion' heard across Paris was actually a fighter jet breaking the sound barrier. Getty Images

A fighter jet breaking the sound barrier over Paris caused alarm across the French capital today with residents suspecting the sound was an explosion.

The jet passed over Paris at noon local time with the noise heard all across the city and its surrounding suburbs.

The Paris police headquarters tweeted: "A very loud noise was heard in Paris and in the Paris region. It was not an explosion, it was a fighter jet crossing the sound barrier. Don't clutter the emergency lines!"

The jet was scrambled as an emergency measure and had permission to break the sound barrier, the French defence ministry said.

It was sent to help a commercial airliner which lost contact with air traffic control.

Parisians, already on edge after a knife attack outside the former offices of the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo last week, were left rattled and confused.

The noise was clearly heard during the French Open tennis tournament at Roland Garros, where star player Stan Wawrinka of Switzerland and his German opponent Dominik Koepfer paused in astonishment and worry as the noise echoed around the stadium.

Social media users reported hearing a "big explosion" across the across the city.

One user said the sound left her window cracked while others reported being left "scared" by the unusual noise.

A major terror trial is under way in the city with 14 people accused of helping to carry out the Charlie Hebdo attacks in 2015.

Last Friday, two people were stabbed outside the magazine's former headquarters by a man who allegedly believed the publication's staff still worked there.