NewsThe bright light and explosion which was seen and heard by residents mainly from the Southern Province last night was likely the result of a meteor burning up in the atmosphere and subsequently exploding, the Arthur C Clarke Institute for Modern Technologies stated. Saraj Gunasekara, Research Scientist at the Institute, said based on eyewitness accounts, last night's event was highly likely caused by a meteor. He noted that a meteor, once it enters Earth's atmosphere, starts to burn up and its speed accelerates. At some point during entry, once the meteor's speed and heat from the atmosphere reaches a certain level, the remnants of the meteor can explode, he explained. There have been no reports of any damage caused by the explosion that occurred last night.

Source: Sunday Times October 19, 2017 06:11 UTC