‘Shooting star’ lights up Sabah sky
KOTA KINABALU: A mysterious bright light shooting across the Sabah sky late on Monday caught many people by surprise, prompting questions about whether it was a shooting star.
The incident occurred about 11.30pm and was followed by what sounded like an explosion, which could allegedly be heard across several districts, namely Kota Belud, Kota Marudu, Pitas, Ranau, Tuaran and Kota Kinabalu.
Many witnessed the event and pictures of the bright light shooting towards Earth have been widely shared on social media.
Lojumin Galapan, 52, a secondary school teacher, said he was amazed by the bright light.
He said he was resting on his home’s verandah and feeding his dog in Kampung Marak-Parak, Kota Marudu, when he saw the “light” just above his house.
“It disappeared immediately. I’m not sure whether it shot towards the ground, but there was a loud explosion, a thunder-like sound. There was no rain or lightning.
“The sound echoed for about five to eight seconds.”
He said the light seemed to have travelled from west to east.
He said his family and neigh- bours were astounded and could not stop staring at the sky, but everyone was calm.
Tuaran resident Hashim Taitun, 33, said he was at home when he heard two explosions, followed by tremors that lasted a few seconds.
“The house shook. I stepped out, so did my neighbours, but besides the thunder-like sound, nothing else happened.”
Yong Ted Phen, 49, from Kota Kinabalu, said he thought he heard a thunderstorm.
“Some Netizens say a meteor fell in the Tuaran area.”
The Sabah Fire and Rescue Department had said it had yet to receive any emergency calls regarding the mysterious light.
Checks with the Sabah Meteorological Department suggested that the light could have been a shooting star or meteor shower.
Its director, Azemi Daud, said the department could not pinpoint the location of the incident.
“The explosion may be caused by a meteor,” he said, adding that meteors often exploded once they hit Earth’s atmosphere.
The incident has gone viral, with some Netizens linking it to a possible military exercise at Paradise Camp in Kota Belud.