'Burning pencil' crash site found<\/p>\n
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Villagers in the Muna regency, Southeast Sulawesi claim they
\nhave found the crash site of a \"burning pencil-shaped object\",
\nabout a month after it fell from the sky, but said they were
\nunsure what it was.<\/p>\n
Quoting the villagers' description, Muna regent Ridwan said on
\nThursday that the object had a long, slender shape and was pale
\nblue in color. He said a part of it was embedded in the ground
\nand a smell identical to that of burned iron dipped in water
\nemanated from it. The villagers have also taken pictures of it.<\/p>\n
Ridwan said it looked like either satellite or rocket debris.
\n\"I've told the authorities to guard the object,\" he told Antara.
\n\"Nobody is allowed to approach it as it could contain hazardous
\nchemicals.\"<\/p>\n
Ridwan said he had reported the finding to Jakarta and hoped a
\nteam of experts would arrive soon to identify it.<\/p>\n
On April 26, locals reported seeing a \"burning-shaped object\"
\nfall from the sky. Officials mistook the falling debris for an
\nItalian satellite, the BepooSAX, which fell into the Pacific
\nOcean on April 30.<\/p>\n
Since then authorities have undertaken a search for the
\nobject, however, locating it has been difficult. Ridwan said the
\ncrash site was in a thick forest, close to the steep mountainside
\nof Mt. Wani.<\/p>\n
Earlier this month, a team comprising local police personnel
\nand the Indonesian Military (TNI) Airforce combed the forest
\nlooking for the debris, but have found nothing as of yet.<\/p>\n
Another nine-member search team was assembled in the Kulisusu
\ndistrict, the area in which the object is believed to have
\ncrashed.<\/p>\n
A member of the search party, Ramlan, said he was the first to
\nreach the object early this week. There is no confirmed date of
\nthe finding.<\/p>\n
The team said it takes about two hours from the nearest
\nvillage to reach the crash site by foot, and a path leading to
\nthe object has been cleared.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/burning-pencil-crash-site-found-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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