Object on longhouse roof may be Long March rocket debris

SIBU: Residents of a longhouse in Sungai Asan Bayu near here were shocked when told an object found on the roof of their longhouse could possibly be debris from China’s Long March 5B rocket.

Bintangor Fire and Rescue Station (BBP) chief Nicholas Belulin said the discovery of the object measuring 5.8cm wide and 7.62cm long was made by the owner and family of the unit in Rumah Renyam, Sungai Asan Bayu, when they returned home on Saturday evening.

Belulin said Sibu BBP was informed about the object at about 8.50pm when they received a call from the Lanang police station.

A team from Bintangor BBP arrived at the location, about 37km away, at 10.38pm.

“They found the suspicious object had fallen on the roof of the longhouse and was stuck in a wooden beam. There was a tear in the roof.

“The object was then taken by police for further investigation,” he said in a statement yesterday, Bernama reported.

According to residents, the object may have been there for a few weeks because the family rarely returned to the longhouse due to work and only noticed it when they saw a hole in the roof.

Meanwhile, the resident who lodged a report at the Sungai Merah police station on Saturday evening said his neighbour had heard a loud bang on the night of July 30.

Sibu OCPD Asst Comm Zulkipli Suhaili said the report of the discovery was received late Saturday and the object would be sent to the Chemistry Department and the Atomic Energy Licensing Board branch in Kuching for identification.On July 31, the Malaysian Space Agency confirmed that the bright objects seen streaking across the night sky around Sarawak on July 30 were those from the Chinese Long March 5B rocket debris.

Most of the debris was reported to have fallen into the Sulu Sea.