News Story: Mysterious Ball of Fire Fell From Sky In India

http://ww1.mid-day.com/news/city/200...ary/101299.htm

I have copy of one of largest selling english daily in Mumbai. This
story is carried on front page. It happened just about 21 hours ago.

No one has yet figured out what that huge fire ball was. As no one is
hurt or no damage report, I just wonder this event will just die down
without any explanation at all.

If that was small asteroid, obviously those NASA Near-Earth-Object
people had no clue.

- neo
==================================
Mystery ball of fire falls in Khopoli
By: The Mid Day Team
January 12, 2005
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Villagers saw a huge ball of fire
in the air, a little over the
pond (circled) in Apata
village near Khopoli, nearly
100 kms from Mumbai
Khopoli/Mumbai: "I saw a huge ball of fire in the air. It raced down
to the earth so fast that before I could do anything, my house shook
and all my utensils came crashing down," said Gangaram Waghmare,
caretaker of a farmhouse in Apata village near Khopoli, nearly 100 kms
from Mumbai.

Like 6,000 other villagers, Waghmare is in a state of shock after the
mysterious fireball explosions that shook Horale, Wavoshi, Chriner,
Apta, Kharapada and other villages in the vicinity of Khopoli, Uran and
Panvel at around 8.30 pm yesterday.

An almost twister-like effect was also detected in the jungle areas of
Bazruddin, Wavochi and Karoshi, which saw trees swaying.

A series of explosions was heard simultaneously in these villages, and
locals ran out of their houses fearing they would come crashing down.

Most villagers remained out side their homes all through last night.
"The noise was so loud, for a moment I thought I had turned deaf. It
was almost like a huge bomb blast," said R Chaitanya, a resident of
Pen. Chaitanya in fact left his home and rushed to his friend's home
in Panvel to stay there for a while.

What the "ball of fire" and "explosion" was, and what caused
it, was however unclear till late last night.

While Air Traffic Control officials ruled out an aircraft crash, the
Mumbai Meteorological Department ruled out any asteroid or meteorite
fall, and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) officials in
Mumbai dismissed the possibility of any part of a satellite falling.

Police and government officials too could not figure out what the
"fireball" was. Ashok Mhatre, tehsildar of Khalapur, said he rushed
out of his house on hearing the loud noise.

"When I came out to inquire, people told me they had seen something
like an aeroplane," Mhatre said.

A patrolling cop D D Bharsat in Bharapada village told Mid Day he saw
fire with smoke and that its impact sent leaves and other articles from
the ground circling into the air.

Bhaskar Wankhede, collector, Raigad, said, "We have sent teams across
Raigad, but they haven't found anything untoward. I have spoken to
Navy officials at the Nhava Sheva base. They have radar facilities but
even they haven't detected any plane or any flying object."

Officials from the Khopoli fire brigade were also not able to shed any
light. "Some are saying it's a plane crash, while according to
others it was an earthquake," said a fire official.

Superintendent Dnyaneshwar Phadtare of Raigad police said, "The
villagers here have heard the sound but it is still not clear if it was
an explosion, a quake or a fireball," he said.

Police have also not found the exact place where the "explosion"
occurred.

"Our men are travelling from village to village to find out the exact
spot of the unidentified explosion. Many have heard the explosion but
nobody has yet been able to pinpoint the spot," Phadtare noted.

(Inputs by Vinod Kumar Menon, Bhupen Patel, Kashif Khusro, Gigil
Varghese and Yogesh Naik)

They have no clue

I have received 80 calls since 8 pm yesterday from people who heard a
deafening sound. We flashed wireless messages to police stations and
other authorities to confirm details, but nothing is known yet.
- Vijay Kamble, commissioner of police, Navi Mumbai

The Air Traffic Control has completed its investigation and has stated
that all flights which took off from Mumbai and flights supposed to
land at Mumbai airport are as per schedule.
- Praveen Ohri, general manager (Aerodrome), Airports Authority of
India

We are gathering information, but so far there is no information about
any disaster or a plane crash.
- Deputy Chief Minister R R Patil

We have only two satellites in the orbit, and we have ruled out damage
to either.
- An ISRO administrative officer

Just update:
-------------------------------

http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/1...0600010004.htm

Experts rush to locate Mumbai meteor debris

Press Trust of India

Mumbai, January 12, 2005|16:43 IST

Geologists and amateur astronomers rushed to Vavoshi near Pen in Raigad
district on Wednesday morning, where pieces of a meteor-like object
were reported to have fallen on Tuesday night.

A meteor-like object allegedly hit Vavoshi village near Mumbai in
Raigad district on Tuesday night around 2030 hrs.

Bright light was seen and deafening noise was heard at places including
Vavoshi, Rasaini, Khalapur, Khopoli, Pen, Panvel and Chirner.

The Astronomical Study and Research Centre, Pen Chairman and Director
Sandeep Jhadav said it appears to be an explosion caused due to
collision of an asteroid with earth's surface and the impact was felt
over a radius of 50 km.

"We are trying to follow up on the matter," he said.

Meanwhile, Indian Meterological Department in Mumbai denied any
earthquake struck the region on Tuesday night.

Panic gripped the village with residents reporting a huge ball of fire
coming down from the sky accompanied by a big bang.
-------------------------------------

- neo