[meteorite-list] India Explosion Was Not A Meteorite Fall

From: Ron Baalke <baalke_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Fri, 4 Mar 2016 13:10:20 -0800 (PST)
Message-ID: <201603042110.u24LAKRL014739_at_zagami.jpl.nasa.gov>

http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/chennai/it-was-not-a-meteorite-say-scientists/article8311566.ece

Vellore Explosion Was Not A Meteorite Fall
S. Vijay Kumar
The Hindu
March 4, 2016

Scientists say the blast is a matter of 'serious concern".

Nearly a month after the mysterious explosion in Vellore district scientists
have declared that they did not find any meteorite substance in the samples
collected from the scene. Chief Minister Jayalalithaa and the State police
had earlier said the explosion was caused by a "meteorite fall".

On February 6, a man was killed and three others injured following an
explosion in the campus of a private engineering college at Natrampalli
in Vellore district.

While forensic experts ruled out a land explosion since no explosive material,
ingredient or chemical residuals were found at the scene, scientists from
the country's top laboratories say they have reasons to believe that the
mysterious explosion, the first of its kind, is a matter of 'serious concern".

'There is no definite proof to conclude that it was a meteorite fall.
The samples given to us do not have the properties of a meteorite. May
be, we are looking at the wrong samples. The footage from surveillance
cameras, eyewitness accounts and nature of injuries certainly point to
something serious. It is likely that something fell from the space - whether
it bounced off or got scattered has to be seen," a top scientist from
the National Physical Laboratory, Ahmedabad, told The Hindu on Thursday.

The focus now is on ascertaining the source of the object and preventing
the recurrence of such falls. Scientists are looking for other remains
of the suspicious object around the campus. "This is a top priority investigation.
If need be, we will simulate the circumstances for a better understanding
of the impact. As a scientist, I am curious to know what it is - it cannot
be dismissed as a meteorite because there is no such evidence as of now,"
said the scientist seeking anonymity.
Received on Fri 04 Mar 2016 04:10:20 PM PST