Was blinding light a meteor?

Shirley Wijesinghe

COLOMBO: The object which spewed a blinding light that lit the night skies in several areas of the North Western Province on Sunday is suspected to be meteor.

The light was accompanied by huge booming sounds.

Dr. Chandana Jayaratne of the Arthur C.Clarke Centre told the Daily News that there were confirmed reports of unusual sightings over several areas including Kuliyapitiya, Bingiriya, Andiambalama, Puttalam and Maho where residents had spotted a blinding light coupled with a huge noise. He suspected the phenomenon to be the appearance of a meteor.

An unusual light was observed by residents and other neighbourhoods around 9.05 p.m. A resident of Bingiriya said he saw something like a fireball falling to the ground from the sky immediately after the noise.

The suspected meteor may have fallen somewhere in the Dambulla or Kandy areas, Dr. Jayaratne said. There had so far been no discovery of any fragments to arrive at a definite conclusion, he added.

Meanwhile, a resident of Andiambalama, Kimbulapitiya reported extensive damages to his tiled roof where some tiles had melted, apparently by extreme heat, Dr.Jayaratne said. A similar phenomenon was also reported from Maho, he added.

Residents of other areas of the North Western Province and Western Province too had heard loud booms.