Mysterious object falls from sky, blasts in Salem

According to locals, around 4 pm a big object fell from an aeroplane that flew past Moolakadai village. On hitting the ground, the object exploded with a deafening sound which was heard up to 15 km. Moolakadai is located close to the forest in the catchment area of Mettur dam. 

People of nearby village Thinnampatti said that they saw a plane fly past the village and that something fell from it and burst. On hearing the thud, residents of many nearby villages rushed out of their houses. They also searched the village and nearby forest areas, but could not find anything. The incident sent wave of panic in the entire region, locals said. 

Revenue and police officials visited the place and conducted an inquiry to find out if any untoward incident had taken place. Investigations continued till late in the evening. Villagers felt that experts from the meteorology or department concerned should investigate and explain what happened to allay the fears of the people. 

While the cause of the blast could not be ascertained immediately, it is suspected that the mysterious package could be a meteor, as  there have been such occurrences in Salem and Vellore last year.