Batu Niah: A metal fragment found buried one metre in the ground during the wee hours of Sunday (July 31) near a house in Taman Goodwill, Sepupok Lama, 81 km from Miri is suspected to be part of a rocket exhaust.
However, an officer from Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MOSTI), Sholehah Ismail said they have yet to determine the origin of the object.
On Tuesday afternoon (Aug 2), around 1pm, an aerospace and MOSTI team from Kuala Lumpur arrived in Sepupok, for the final inspection on the object.
Weighing 27kg with a height of 40 cm, upper diameter of 120cm and 80cm lower diameter, the object, resembling a flower pot, has been retrieved from the scene to be brought to Kuala Lumpur for further investigation.
The metal fragment was found buried only 20 feet away from a house belonging to a 90 year-old woman.
The metal fragment was discovered on Sunday morning around 1am after the homeowner and her son heard a loud bang.
Suspecting it to be part of debris from the crashed Chinese Long March 5B rocket, her son, Ho Chaeng Seng, 53, lodged a police report the same day.
The rocket debris’ re-entry into the atmosphere at about 12.45am on July 31 was spotted by many over Sarawak skies with pictures and videos posted on social media.
Also present was Miri police chief ACP Alexson Naga Chabu.
