Apparent meteorite fall (~2-3 kg) near Panj Girain (پنج گرین) and Darya Khan (دریا خان), Bhakkar (بھکر), Punjab, Pakistan on 16 August 2018

21/08/2018 16:26 · by karmaka · in meteorite, witnessed fall

Last update: 13 August 2020

According to local sheep and goat shepherds a meteorite (~ 2-3 kg, possibly an ordinary chondrite) fell on a grazing ground near Panj Girain (پنج گرین) and Darya Khan (دریا خان), Bhakkar (بھکر) district, Punjab, Pakistan in the afternoon of 16 August 2018. The sky was overcast and a bolide was apparently not observed. The locals were afraid to touch the chunky, regmaglypted meteorite and called the authorities. As reported by the BBC on 13 August 2020 according to Nadeem Naz ( ٹر ندیم ناز ) he was called to the Darya Khan police station by Rana Naseer ( رانا نصیر ), Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), in the evening of 18 August 2018 and handed over the meteorite to the DSP in the presence of Assistent Commissioner Talha Saeed ( طلحہ سعید ) and other senior officials. Naz was told that the meteorite would be sent to the Punjab Forensic Science Agency (PFSA / پنجاب طب قانونی ادارہ‎ ) for analysis and later be sent to the Geology Department of Punjab University. According to the Geology Department’s director Dr. Shahid Jamil Samini ( ڈاکٹر شاہد جمیل سمینی ) it wasn’t until a few days after the incident that he was informed about it by Assistant Commissioner Talha Saeed. Dr. Shahid Jamil Samini was told that the meteorite was being sent to the National Forensic Science Agency and would be handed over to him which has not happened. According to a senior official of the National Forensic Science Agency in Islamabad the meteorite has not been sent to his institution. The Punjab Forensic Science Agency (PFSA / پنجاب طب قانونی ادارہ‎ ) has apparently not made any statements on the issue yet.

Before the fall of the meteorite a ‘rushing sound’ and a subsequent explosion had been heard in the area around Panj Girain (پنج گرین).