Bhubaneswar: Night turned into day for a few seconds as a huge ball of fire, believed to be a meteor, streaked across the sky in coastal Orissa causing panic among the people on September 27.

Official sources, admitting the occurrence of the phenomenon, said that collectors of all districts where the fireball was sighted had been asked to report to the government about it.

Remnants of the fireball had landed in a village under Kaptipada police station in Mayurbhanj district starting a fire there, the Revenue minister Biswabhushan Harichandan said quoting official reports.

We have asked the collectors to report about the matter, he said.

Panic-stricken people in at least 11 Orissa districts saw the fireball streak across the sky as the darkness was completely dispelled for a few seconds at around 6.30 pm.

Reports from Kendrapara, Jagatsinghpur, Jajpur and Mayurbhanj districts said that the phenomenon was accompanied by ear-splitting noise, which made even the doors and windows to tremble.

The other districts, which reported the sighting were Cuttack, Puri, Khurda, Nayagarh, Angul, Bhadrak and Balasore.

People on the streets of the capital city in Bhubaneswar saw the flash of light for a second or two but there was no noise.

MET office sources said it could be a meteor which had landed somewhere in the state. Dr Prahallad Chandra Nayak, former director of the Pathani Samanta Planetarium, also agreed saying it was a shooting star.

A report from Baripada said that people saw two fireballs landing in Sudsudia village under Kaptipada police station setting ablaze a thatched house.

Two women received injuries following the incident while another person present nearby fell unconscious. They were being treated at the local hospital.

Fire brigade from Udala rushed to the village to douse the flames.

Authorities were investigating into reports that remnants of the meteor had landed in Jagatsinghpur district. But it was yet to be verified.

A report from Kendrapara said three persons, including a woman, from different villages in the district had been admitted into the district headquarter hospital after falling unconscious as they witnessed the rare occurrence.

All of them were outside when the meteor was sighted and could have suffered shock, hospital sources said.

Groups of people gathered in the streets at different towns to discuss the happening as rumours flew thick and fast.

PTI