Remote Kenyan village hit by massive fragment of space object

CNN

A huge, red-hot object fell from the sky into a Kenyan village on Monday afternoon according to local residents cited by the country’s national broadcaster, prompting an immediate investigation by the national space agency.

The object has since been identified as a “fragment of a space object,” the Kenya Space Agency said in a statement Wednesday.

The KSA said it has taken custody of the object that landed in the remote village of Mukuku, in the southern county of Makueni, 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,” the KSA said.