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Meteorite Fragments Strike Koblenz After Bright Fireball Sweeps Western Europe

Authorities describe a meter‑scale object that went undetected before entry.

Overview

  • A luminous fireball at 17:55 UTC on March 8 was seen across Belgium, France, Germany, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands, glowing for about six seconds and captured by the AllSky7 network and numerous cameras.
  • The meteoroid fragmented in the atmosphere, and debris hit the Koblenz‑Güls area; police reported a soccer‑ball‑size hole in one roof and additional building damage, with no injuries.
  • Meteorite pieces were rapidly recovered near Koblenz and are headed for laboratory classification, with a complete strewn‑field map still pending.
  • ESA’s Planetary Defence team is reconstructing the trajectory from network footage and currently estimates the object at a few meters in diameter moving from southwest to northeast.
  • Officials emphasized the event was unrelated to military activity, and experts note dusk approaches often evade surveys, with meter‑scale impacts occurring from every few weeks to every few years.