In a death of astronomically low odds, scientists in India are investigating the possibility that a meteorite killed a man in Vellore district in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu on Saturday. If the claim turns out to be true, it would be the first meteorite-related death recorded in nearly 200 years.
The incident reportedly happened on Saturday after the extraterrestrial object crashed into the grounds of an engineering college in the Vellore district around midday Saturday, making a loud noise and leaving an 2-foot-deep crater in its wake, according to CNN.
The resulting explosion killed a 40-year-old named Kamaraj, who worked as a bus driver on the campus of the Bharathidasan Engineering College, and injured to gardeners and a student who were all taken to a nearby hospital for treatment.
Speaking about the incident, Jayalalithaa Jayaram, the chief minister of Tamil Nadu, reiterated the notion that the bus driver had been killed by the space rock and that $1,470 had been rewarded to his family in compensation for his death.
"A meteorite fell within the college premises," Jayalalithaa said, according to Reuters. The man "sustained serious injuries and died while on the way to the hospital."
Other officials admitted that the likelihood of a meteorite breaking through the atmosphere and killing someone is quite small, but said they were left with little other choice to consider that the blast was caused by the mini-celestial body after no evidence of explosives were discovered after a preliminary investigation.
"When no evidence of explosive material was found, we moved to the theory that it might be a meteorite," said a district official who asked to not be named. "It is not confirmed yet as samples need to be analyzed."
Despite that, scientists are unconvinced, pointing out just how unlikely such occurrence is.
"You have a better chance of getting hit by a tornado and a bolt of lightning and a hurricane all at the same time," is how astronomer and author of the book "Falling Stars: A Guide to Meteors & Meteorites" Michael Reynolds describes the likelihood of such an event in a National Geographic report, according to The Times Of India.
Now a team from the Indian Institute of Astrophysics will visit the site on Tuesday to collect samples. Once their investigation is complete, a verdict will be reached on what truly caused Kamaraj's death: an astronomical anomaly or an Earthly explosion.
