The Vellore police on Monday asked the Indian Institute of Astrophysics scientists to come and examine a dark blue stone that Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa believes was a meteorite that killed a bus driver at an engineering college. The incident took place on Saturday. The man had sustained serious injuries and had died en route to the hospital, Jayalalithaa had confirmed. The stone, which resembled a diamond, was found at the site, Reuters reported.

Government officials first suspected the blast was caused by explosives left behind after construction work, but found no evidence to prove it. They then theorised that it was caused by a meteorite. “This is not confirmed as samples need to be analysed,” a district official said.

Officials said the man was standing on a patch of grass near the institute’s cafeteria when he was killed on Saturday. Two gardeners and a student were injured as well. The explosion at the college left a small crater and shattered windows too. Jayalalithaa has offered the deceased's family compensation of Rs 1 lakh.

If confirmed, this will be the first recorded death from a space rock in nearly 200 years. The last death caused by a meteorite strike was in 1825, according to scientific journal the International Comet Quarterly. In 2013, a meteorite explosion over Russia led to shockwaves that shattered windows and rained fireballs over a large area. At least 1,200 people were injured.