An unidentified object fell this Saturday around noon about 50 meters from the bridge over the Purgatorio River, in the municipality of Pilón, Granma province, and local authorities are working to preserve it and subject it to scientific analysis.
According to journalist Marisela Presa in her Facebook profile, the object was found still smoldering by a group of young people in the area, who picked it up and handed it over to the local authorities.
The witnesses described that the object bounced about three times upon falling and that it was red, features consistent with a high-temperature impact.
In terms of size, preliminary data indicates that the fragment is approximately the size of an almond, dark in appearance and with a rough surface.
A video shared in the Facebook group "Revolico Pilón" shows two dark objects on dry ground, with the surrounding area being reddish in color, suggesting that the impact generated considerable heat. The person filming the scene exclaims, "That fell from the sky... it's releasing gas and a terrible stench."
Marta Digno, president of the Municipal Assembly of People's Power of Pilón, confirmed the events and provided two images of the object to Presa, who specified that the local MININT already has the piece in custody while procedures for its protection and study are being carried out.
Enrique Diego Arango Arias, head of the National Seismological Service and technical director of CENAIS (National Center for Seismological Research), described the event as a "probable meteorite fall in Pilón" and strongly urged to preserve the evidence: "It is important to preserve the site, not to touch anything so that it can be studied and the sample analyzed."
At this time, there is no official scientific confirmation that the object is indeed a meteorite; investigations are ongoing.
The verification process in Cuba combines seismic signals from CENAIS, eyewitness testimonies, satellite data, and mineralogical and chemical laboratory analyses. A meteorite can only be certified when multiple pieces of evidence align.
If confirmed, it would be the sixth meteorite scientifically registered in Cuba. The five cases recognized to date are Las Canas (1844), Bacuranao (1974), Santa Isabel de las Lajas (1994), Viñales (2019), and Ramón de las Yaguas, in Santiago de Cuba (2021).
The most recent and high-profile incident was the one in Viñales, in Pinar del Río, where CITMA confirmed the fall of an ordinary L6 chondrite that fragmented into several pieces; the largest measured about 11 centimeters. In November 2024, a possible fall in Matanzas was investigated, but it was not confirmed, as no fragments were found on the ground.
The scientific community is awaiting the results of the analysis of the object recovered in Pilón to determine whether Cuba is adding a new chapter to its meteoric history.
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