Chinese space debris falls into Bay of Bengal off Arakan coast

By DMG 10 Dec 2021

DMG Newsroom
10 December 2021, Manaung 

An inessential piece of a Chinese spacecraft crashed into the sea off the coast of Arakan State’s Thandwe and Manaung townships at around 6 a.m. on December 10, according to locals. 

U Maung Thant Zin, a resident of Kaei village, said he witnessed the debris’s return to Earth, landing in waters southwest of Manaung Island. 

“I saw a flash of light fall from the sky and heard two explosions. I could not hear anything else,” he added.  

The Department of Fisheries reportedly notified the operators of ferry boats and fishing vessels that debris from the spacecraft could fall some 28 nautical miles southwest of Manaung Airport, 18 miles of Thandwe Airport and 61 miles of Pathein Airport in Ayeyarwady Region within date range of December 6-12.  

U Ko Ko Naing, an official from the Department of Fisheries in Kyeintali town, confirmed Friday’s incident, adding that no one was injured when the space debris crashed into the sea.

Ko Aung Myint, a local fisherman in Arakan State, said he feared the re-entry blast would cause tremors and harm marine life. 

“There was a lot of noise even on the shore. I am worried about the fragility of marine life,” he said.  

This is the third time in less than a year that Chinese space debris has crashed into waters off the Arakan State coast, with previous incidents reported on December 27, 2020, and November 23 of this year.