Villagers said a meteorite that slammed into rural Zimbabwe sounded like a helicopter as it landed, state media reported on Tuesday.
The 4,1kg, white-speckled black lump landed on August 22 in the remote Dotito area of the Zambezi escarpment, about 140km north of the capital, Harare, The Herald newspaper reported.
The meteorite is believed to consist mainly of nickel and iron. It has been taken to a police forensic laboratory for study, and later will be taken to the national museum.
Those who saw it land are still ”dumbfounded”, The Herald reported.
Residents of Chaworeka village were working in their fields when they heard a sound like a helicopter at about 5pm local time on August 22, police Inspector Michael Munyikwa told the paper.
Jeriko Muzanembi, who was cutting poles, said the meteorite landed a few metres from his house.
”The impact of the stone cut 15cm deep into the earth when it landed,” Munyikwa was quoted as saying. — Sapa-AP