An alleged meteorite shook eastern Cuba, causing sky light and residents to hear the roar of the blast, an island seismological authority said.
The head of the National Seismological Services, Enrique Arango Arias, told the official Cubadebate website on Saturday that, due to “the nature of the phenomenon, a meteorite fell temporarily”. The phenomenon occurred on Friday night.
“It was perceived in Moa, Sagua de Tánamo, Maisí. In all these places he was registered. From what the sensors indicate, it was not a ground explosion, but since it was an event of this nature, our teams recorded the shock wave “, explained Arango.
Social networks reported the event throughout the east of the island, and users exchanged experiences that ranged from simple glare to the observation of a red and white light followed by an explosion.
The phenomenon was recorded at 22.06, local time, according to reports.
One of the most important specialists of the Meteorological Institute, Elier Pila, indicated in his Twitter account that the lightning sensor of the GOES-Est satellite “detected the lightning of the possible meteorite that was seen in several eastern provinces”.
He also placed a satellite image showing the fall in a rural area of Holguín, about 900 kilometers from Havana, and another animated with brilliance. No casualties or property damage were reported.
Hilario Quintana Charlot, a computer instructor living in Jamaica, Guantánamo Province, assured Cubadebate that he noticed the phenomenon.
“I saw the sky as a ball of candle that lit everything and two or three minutes later two explosions in a row,” Quintana said.
The latest report on the observation of a meteorite in Cuba took place in 2019 in the western city of Viñales, Pinar del Río.