‘A Flame Was Seen in the Sky’: Residents Recount Drone Downing in Buzău

Moments of fear gripped residents in southern Buzău County, Romania, after a drone that entered the country's airspace was intercepted and downed by the Romanian Air Force. Local accounts describe a powerful explosion and the prolonged presence of military planes in the sky.

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We received RO-Alert a little earlier. About ten minutes after the message, a very, very loud bang was heard. The intensity was ten times greater than thunder. After that, planes started flying in the sky. For about half an hour, maybe 40 minutes, the noise was terrible. We were all scared and tried to take shelter.

Following a RO-Alert warning, many residents reported hearing a "very, very loud bang," described as ten times more intense than thunder. This was followed by military aircraft flying overhead for about 30 to 40 minutes, creating a "terrible noise" that caused widespread fear and prompted people to seek shelter. The emergency response continued even after the aircraft had left the area.

“

When the drone was attacked, a flame was seen in the sky for a few seconds.

One woman recounted seeing "a flame in the sky for a few seconds" at the moment the drone was engaged. Another resident initially mistook the sounds for a sonic boom or even a celestial event, noting a trail in the sky that they thought was part of a military exercise. However, the palpable fear among people in neighboring villages, with some reportedly panicking and the elderly crying, indicated the seriousness of the situation.

“

I heard a small bang at first. Hearing the noise of the planes, I thought it was a sonic boom. When we looked at the sky, we thought: 'God, is a meteor going to fall?'. We thought of everything, including the possibility of a drone.

The Buzău Emergency Situational Inspectorate confirmed that the 112 emergency number received about 10-15 calls after the RO-Alert message, mostly seeking explanations rather than reporting specific incidents. The drone was detected by the Ministry of Defense's radar systems at 9:39 AM and was shot down by a Romanian Air Force F-16 aircraft at 11:02 AM over an uninhabited area near Padina village. Authorities are continuing their investigation to determine the drone's origin and characteristics.

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I saw a trail in the sky and thought it was exercises. Only the people in the neighboring village were already very scared. Some were panicking, and the elderly were even crying.