Meteorite or ‘magical’ healing stone? Indonesian social media lights up again over another alien rock landing

Local residents who found a meteorite that crashed to earth in southern Sumatra put it into a tub of water, hoping its essence would cure their ailments

It was the second instance that a meteorite hitting Sumatra has made the rounds on social media, with the first, in August, causing a firestorm over its value

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Some of the villagers from Astomulyo, with the one in the centre holding a fragment of the meteorite in a plastic bag. Photo: ITERA Lampung

Published: 7:18pm, 3 Feb 2021Updated: 9:32pm, 3 Feb 2021

The crashing of yet another meteorite on Indonesia’s Sumatra Island has reverberated through social media and put an alien space rock in the spotlight once again, but this time for its “magical” healing power rather than its purported monetary value.

Local residents in the area where the meteorite fell last week in Lampung, the southernmost province of Sumatra, apparently found the still-hot stone, placed it in a tub of water, then took bottles of the water home to drink or pour over their bodies as a disease preventive or curative.

A video of the rock soaking in water was posted on Facebook and other social media sites, garnering tens of thousands of views, while local and national media outlets also picked up on the story.

The 2.2kg meteorite that struck Astomulyo village. Photo: ITERA Lampung

“They believe that the stone is a magical stone, and that the water can bring blessings and good luck and is magically useful for maintaining health,” said Roni Pamungkas, a 23-year-old local resident who encountered his neighbours absconding into the night with their exotic elixir.

Edi Kurniawan, the head Astomulyo village, where the 2.2kg rock landed, said that most of local residents considered the meteorite sacred because it fell on an auspicious night under local animist belief, and came in answer to the prayers of a homeowner who had long battled kidney disease.

“A person [in Astomulyo] who is considered to have spiritual abilities suggested putting the stone in the water so that the water could be used for healing,” he told This Week in Asia.