On the afternoon of February 19, residents of the Namangan province reported of a falling of an unidentified object, which left a bright trail in the sky. This was accompanied by a ground tremor, a loud roar, and smoke.
Photos of dark-colored fragments of a solid object appeared on local Telegram channels. Some reported that windows in houses were damaged.
Aircraft spotter Makhmudkhon Odilkhonov, who lives in Namangan province, said that between 12:30 and 1:00 PM, he heard a loud rumble and felt like an earthquake. He was watching planes near the airport at the time.
"I decided it happened in the Yuksalish area near the airport and returned home. My family said they also heard a rumble, presumably coming from the direction of Chust. Black smoke could be seen in the sky for about two hours," the young man said.
He added that a man living in another province soon called him and asked what had happened in Namangan. Videos from central Tashkent then appeared on social media, showing a burning trail in the sky. "I compared the times, and they match," Makhmudkhon Odilkhonov noted.
Dashcam footage published on Telegram channels shows that the recordings were taken at approximately 12:35 PM (videos: 1, 2). At some point, the bright body disappears.
The Institute of Astronomy of the Academy of Sciences stated in a comment on Thursday that it was conducting an investigation, but at that time, no precise information was available. They promised to publish details if they become available.
"There is no confirmation that this is a meteorite or other natural or man-made source. If no fragments reached the Earth's surface, it is impossible to give a definitive conclusion about the nature of the phenomenon," the institute noted.
"According to scientific calculations, millions of small celestial bodies enter the Earth's atmosphere every day, but almost all of them burn up in the atmosphere (in this case, they are called meteors – ed.). The total mass of meteorites reaching the ground each day averages several tens of tons. At the same time, the likelihood of large meteorites falling in populated areas is extremely low," the statement reads.
The Ministry of Emergency Situations press service said the day before that they had not received any information about any incidents in the Namangan Province.
