Research professor Thomas Djamaluddin from the agency’s astronomy and astrophysics division, said the conclusion was reached based on the damage caused.

Thomas quoted an analysis of the damage, which showed that an object had struck the ground at a very high speed.

“[The object] had extremely  high pressure at the point of impact that shattered all materials in the worst affected house, including the roof and doors,” Thomas told reporters at the site on Monday.

Srikaloka, head of the agency’s center for the application of sciences and space, said the object had also channeled heat to melt plastic in and around the houses.

“Based on the preliminary analysis, we conclude the object was a meteorite,” Thomas said.

However, he said the agency had not yet specified what kind of meteorite was involved.

The National Police Forensic Laboratory collected powder found at the site for further tests.

Sr. Comr. Amri Kamil, head of the National Police’s Criminal Unit for Ballistics, Meteorology and Forensics, said his office had found 15 elements including iron, silica and magnesium in the powder.

“The substances are likely to be the same as those found when a meteorite landed in Bone [South Sulawesi],” Amri said, referring to the meteorite impact that occured in the region last year.

There were no fatalities or injuries as all three houses were empty at the time of impact.

Soedarmojo, whose house was badly damaged said he and his wife were staying at their children’s house when the meteorite struck.

“When we returned, we found the door was torn off and police had cordoned off the house,” he said.

Soedarmojo’s neighbor, Hartati,  whose house was also affected by the meteorite, said that only her living room and porch were  mildly damaged.

“For the time being, we are staying at our children’s house as we can’t go home,” the 56-year-old woman said.

“We hope the government will help us repair the house,” she said.

Like Soedarmojo, Hartati and her husband were not at home during the incident.

Hartati’s neighbor, Yuyun, 25, said she felt a bit traumatized by the incident.

“I rush from my house every time I hear a loud noise,” Yuyun said.

She recalled that she heard a deafening thud when the meteorite hit the ground.

“At first, I thought it might be an explosion coming from gas canister or bomb,” she said.

Thomas said he was expected residents to report to the police should they find pieces of the meteorite around the ground zero.

“The residents should not be worried [about being exposed to the meteorite] since the meteorite does not contain any hazardous materials,” he said, adding the object might have been as big as a mid-sized coconut when it hit.

Aside from the meteorite in Bone, two meteorites recently fell in Gianyar, Bali, in 2008 and in Pontianak, West Kalimantan, in 2003.

Popular

Power begins to return after outage in Indonesia's Bali island

'Devastated' Prince Harry says no UK return but seeks reconciliation

North Sumatra to investigate hot mudflow eruptions in Mandailing Natal