Meteorite injures two in Indian village

BHUBANESWAR, India -- reports have been released indicating that a meteorite struck several homes and injured two people in eastern India Saturday.

Shortly after sunset on Saturday, Sept. 27, 2003, a possible bolide struck in the coastal state of Orissa, said the Press Trust of India. PTI reported that a bright fireball lit up the night sky and caused panic among local residents, according to local witnesses.

There were several reports of ear-splitting noise and broken windows as the fireball passed overhead. One part of the meteorite came down in a Mayubhanj district village, injuring two people and causing fires in several homes. It's possible that other parts of the fireball came down in at least one other village, setting fire to another thatched hut.

Local space experts were quoted by PTI as saying that the object was most likely a meteorite. Officials in the area have been asked to collect any remaining samples of the object for scientific analysis.

Originally contributed by AOAS Member Dale Hall.