A huge red-hot object fell from the sky into a Kenyan village on Monday afternoon according to local residents cited by Kenya’s National Broadcaster, prompting an immediate investigation by the country’s national space agency.
The object has since been identified as a “fragment of a space object,” Kenya’s Space Agency (KSA) said in a statement Wednesday.
KSA said it has taken custody of the object that landed in the remote Mukuku Village, describing it as apparent space junk measuring 2.5 meters (about 8 feet) wide and weighing 500 kg (about 1,100 pounds).
“The Agency wishes to clarify that the object, a metallic ring measuring approximately 2.5 meters in diameter and weighing about 500 kg is a fragment of a space object,” KSA said.
Preliminary assessments suggest it is a separation ring from a rocket, KSA said, noting that space debris more typically falls into the ocean or burns up before entering the earth’s atmosphere.
The fallen object is likely an isolated case and is still under investigation, KSA also said.
Julius Rotich, Mbooni Sub County Police Commander told Kenya’s National Broadcaster that the object was still hot when officers arrived Monday, and that residents had to be cordoned off from the area until it cooled down.
The broadcaster showed images of police tape wrapped around the ring that had fallen into some trees and brush, as residents gathered around.
KSA is analyzing the object and working to confirm where exactly it came from, it said.