Sonic rumble shakes Shijingshan

A mysterious "sonic rumble" that shook Shijingshan district Tuesday afternoon has left residents, experts and local government baffled, with some Web users saying they thought the noise heralded the apocalypse.　

The loud droning noise, lasting around five minutes, did not cause any injuries, although homes and residents were shaken by the vibrations. So far, the source of the noise has not been uncovered, but the local government has launched an investigation.

Shen Jie, 34, who works in tourism, said he was at home in Liuheyuan, Shijingshan district when he heard it.

"It was around 3 pm, and I suddenly heard a tremendous noise. The balcony door, which opens to the south, started vibrating. Even I couldn't stop shaking," he said.　

Shen said he had thought the noise was fireworks at first.　

"I listened, and found the sound came from the [direction of the] southwest side of Yamenkou Bridge on the West Fifth Ring Road," he said.

"It sounded like an enormous rock rolling toward my apartment, which you can only expect in movies," he said.

A 22-year-old student, surnamed Li, who lives in Linlang Zhuangyuan, Liuniang Fulu, said she thought the noise was like a jet taking off.

"It was a thunderous sound, which made my feet shake. It was like a plane, but much louder than that," she said.

Microblogs about the noise had been posted over 22,000 times by Wednesday evening, and a video uploaded to website 56.com showed a view of the district with a noise like a loud, sustained rumble, which did not vary in pitch or tone.

Shijingshan district meteorological bureau told the Global Times there was nothing unusual in its weather record, while Beijing Earthquake Bureau said it had not detected any earth tremors. Meanwhile, steel maker Shougang Group denied there had been an explosion in its blast furnaces, according to the Beijing Morning Post.

An anonymous staff member from the district government said there had been no accidents or disasters reported.

"The work safety department told us there were no factory accidents," she said.

"The district government has ordered the fire, weather, earthquake and work safety departments to work together to find the source. We understand many citizens have heard the sound. So far no casualties have been reported and the life of residents in our district hasn't been influenced," she said.