UFO or volcano? Villagers wonder after ‘explosion’

NONGPOH: A loud mysterious sound led to an explosion of interpretations and imagination by locals in several villages of Ri Bhoi district on Tuesday afternoon.
Unconfirmed reports said a loud sound of explosion was heard in several villages, including in some parts of Nongpoh, around 2.30pm.
Many people said a volcano exploded in some parts of Ri Bhoi whereas some said it was an unidentified flying object as was no smoke in sight.
There were speculations about rockets and earthquakes too. Remington Syiem of Mawlong Nongtluh said, “The explosion was so loud that we thought a rocket was falling from the sky somewhere into the forest near our village.”
M.G Kharshanlor, a resident of Saiden village, said people in his village thought it was an earthquake as the explosion was loud and clear and shook some parts of the village.
The exact location of the explosion has not been identified till the filing of the report.
Another resident of Jowe village, Everest Syiem, said 25 years ago, a hill which was believed to be a volcano exploded near Jowe village, around 30km from Nongpoh, and turned the hill into a lake called Umkyrthe.