It has an antenna and an electronic instrument which made the local residents assume it was a home-made bombLangkat, N Sumatra (ANTARA News) - Residents of Binjai town , North Sumatra, were on Saturday gripped by terror bomb fear by an object that had fallen from the sky that however proved to be a weather balloon known as Radiosonder.
According to an eyewitness, Ramadhani, the suspicious item was described as a white package containing electronic instruments equipped with plastic glass, antenna, and the word "Radiosonders" written on it along with texts in several languages, namely Japanese, Finnish, Korean and English.
"It has an antenna and an electronic instrument which made the local residents assume it was a home-made bomb," he said.
The falling device was falling from the sky and created sound like a plastic blown by wind noise, with one end attached to a blown balloon-like material.
Assuming that the device was a bomb package, the local citizen then called for the North Sumatra Police`s bomb squad to inspect and secure it.
After the bomb squad announced the device was not a bomb, it was taken to the Sumatran Police headquarter in Medan.
Binjai Police chief Adjunct Police Senior Commissioner Rina Sari Ginting said that the suspected bomb device is a weather sensor and it has been several times discovered around the area.
Despite the device is harmless, the local police advised to report for any suspicious items discovered immediately to the nearest police station.
A radiosonder is a small box-like instrument that is carried into the upper atmosphere by balloon. As it travels upward, it transmits meteorological measurements to ground stations.
Radiosonders measure temperature with a thermometer, humidity with a hygrometer, and air pressure with a barometer.
The device is attached to helium-filled neoprene balloons that are designed to burst when they reach a specified altitude, where they can operate up to around 30,000 meters.(*)
Editor: Aditia Maruli Radja
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