Bright fireball explodes above the island of Mayotte

A meteor exploded over the island of Mayotte, South Indian Ocean on February 18, 2019, sparking panic among residents.

According to a statement released by the Mayotte Prefecture, the explosion took place at 21:30 local time (18:30 UTC).

"Some of the testimonies collected suggest a bright fireball in the Mahoran sky. However, emergency services, police, and firefighters said no particular event occurred in the territory," officials said.

All aerial and maritime information provided by the specialized services suggest that the observed phenomenon took place at sea, off the coast of Mahor.

At this point, the Prefecture is trying to confirm this hypothesis and precisely locate the impact using astronomical observations of the area.

One of the residents reported a very bright meteor, traveling from Labattoir to the sea.

If you witnessed this event, please report it to the International Meteor Organization (IMO) using the following form.

Please note that some of the videos and pictures circulating social media, like the one below, are NOT of the Mayotte fireball. 

Tuscon, AZ fireball on June 2, 2016

Teo Blašković

I'm a dedicated researcher, journalist, and editor at The Watchers. With over 20 years of experience in the media industry, I specialize in hard science news, focusing on extreme weather, seismic and volcanic activity, space weather, and astronomy, including near-Earth objects and planetary defense strategies. You can reach me at teo /at/ watchers.news.

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