LAST MINUTE NEWS: 12:34PM
What Caused The Midnight Rumblings? Military Aircraft or Fireworks?

The rumblings and what appeared to be thunder or explosions that awoke many Costa Ricans shortly after midnight could have been generated by a supersonic aircraft, possibly a military plane, breaking the sound barrier as it crossed the skies over Costa Rica.

Could a military craft like the one in the photo have caused the midnight noises?

The Director of the National Volcanological and Seismological Observatory (OVSICORI), Juan de Dios Segura, confirmed the possibility of an aircraft in ruling out any seismic or volcanic activity.

Authorities do not report of any crash or any major explosion.

For its part the Instituto Metereológico Nacional (IMN) - national weather service - reports that "the night was cloudless, with moderate wind and there was no significant cloud formatio or anything that might create the thunder"

The Sección de Vigilancia Aérea (air monitoring service) said they obeserved nothing unusual in their radar, ruling out any aircraft.

The social media sites - Facebook and Twitter, for example - are full of theories and explanations, that include the rumblings were made by the closing fireworks at the Zapote Fair.

Amelia Rueda, on its website, quotes Carlos Villavicencio, of the fireworks firm AVICA, assuring that the loud noise in the silence of the night could be heard as far as Heredia.

Villavencio said that they set off some 150 bomblets starting at midnight and lasting 20 minutes. The fireworks expert added that the same occurred some 15 years ago.

However, many are still skeptical and believe that the noise, thunder, explosion or rumblings were different that those produced by firworks. And the fact that no flashing lights usually accompanying fireworks were not seen.