German police say meteorite damaged homes near Koblenz

Fragments of a meteorite caused damage to roofs and houses in western Germany on Sunday evening.

Police said they received reports of damage from Koblenz and areas nearby at 7 pm (1800 GMT).

“At around 7 p.m. this evening, a burnt-out celestial body struck the roof of a residential building in the Güls district of Koblenz. No one was injured,” a police spokesman said. “According to the information available to us, there is no longer any danger.”

Police were deployed to the scene after widspread concern and confusion about a mysterious light. Many shared images on social media from the states of North Rhine-Westphalia, Hesse, Rhineland-Palatinate, Saarland and Baden-Württemberg.

Some reported seeing a “brightly lit projectile with a short flash of fire” or a “fireball in the sky,” police in Kaiserslautern said.

Some suggested it could have been a rocket. However, there was “no evidence of a security-related incident,” officers said.