A large piece of debris from a rocket that came down from the sky and crashed in a field captivated nearby villagers who said the site was still smouldering hours later.
Phone footage captured by an unnamed resident shows the massive wreckage still letting out smoke after it crashed in a cornfield in Ji County, in China’s northern Shanxi Province on the morning of 1st November.
Forest firefighters were conducting operations at the site. The uploader of the video claimed that it was debris from a rocket booster.
The incident came after the country’s national aerospace agency, The China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC), launched a satellite into the Earth’s orbit.
The Tianhui-5 was launched using the Long March 6A carrier rocket on the same morning, local media reported.
Officials from the local government said that multiple objects fell in the area, likely debris from a rocket booster.
Authorities reassured that a cordon has been set up at the scene and soldiers have been deployed to guard the area.
No fires or injuries have been reported.
Officials also stated that the locals were notified in advance and they had arranged for the villagers to evacuate on the night of 31st October.
The villagers were reportedly allowed to return home only after the debris fell on the morning of 1st November.
