NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) — Cypriot officials are baffled by reports that a meteor streaking across the nighttime sky may have exploded overhead with a thunderous bang that some said made the ground shake. 
 
 Police said eyewitnesses reported seeing a blue glow emanating from the object that raced over the east Mediterranean island's Troodos mountain range shortly before midnight Thursday. 
 
 Cyprus Geological Department official Iordanis Demetriades told The Associated Press Friday that there's no indication the object struck the ground and that it probably "exploded in the sky." 
 
 A police official who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity in line with police rules said numerous reports spoke of "a loud explosion" followed by "the ground shaking." 
 
 Authorities are looking for possible remnants of the object. ||||| There were no reports of casualties or damage from the phenomenon which was reported across a wide area of the south of the Mediterranean island between midnight and 1 am. 
 
 Authorities are now searching for space rock debris from any meteorite fall. 
 
 "We have yet to confirm that it was in fact a meteorite but it is more than likely that it was," police spokesman Andreas Angelides said. 
 
 "We have had many witness reports of a flash of light in the sky, a series of loud noises that were especially loud and heard in the districts of Nicosia and Limassol." 
 
 Police said they had received hundreds of calls from the south coast of the island and some inland areas. 
 
 They said they would continue to investigate. 
 
 The civil aviation authority said that there had been no reports of anything untoward in the skies from pilots and all flights had operated normally in the island's air space during the pre-dawn hours. 
 
 Meteors are pieces of comet or asteroid from outer space that create a fireball as they hit the Earth's atmosphere. 
 
 Those that survive the intense heat and friction and reach the surface without breaking up are known as meteorites and are sought after by scientists for the information they can give about the early solar system. ||||| CLOSE A suspected meteor reverberated across the metro Detroit area at about 8:15 p.m. Jan. 16, 2018, sending social media into a frenzy. Local meteorologists confirm it wasn't thunder or lightning, but likely a meteor. Wochit 
 
 Screen grab of YouTube video courtesy of Mike Austin shows suspected meteor. (Photo: Mike Austin) 
 
 It sounded like thunder with a flash of light, shaking homes at about 8:15 p.m. Tuesday across metro Detroit. But experts say this wasn't lightning. 
 
 "It looks like from videos and reports we've gotten (that it's a) meteor," said Jordan Dale, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in White Lake. "However, we cannot confirm it's a meteor. At this point, we're just sticking to what we know — and it was not thunder or lightning or weather-related." 
 
 The weather service by about 9 p.m. had already received dozens of reports, ranging from Flint to Toledo. 
 
 Multiple images were posted of night skies being lit up, as social media exploded with people reporting what they saw or heard. 
 
 "It's certainly a rare occurrence," Dale said, adding that they're working to determine the cause. 
 
 More: Possible meteor over metro Detroit has everybody cracking jokes 
 
 More:What to do if you find a piece of the Michigan meteor 
 
 After reviewing several observational datasets, the NWS can confirm the flash and boom was NOT thunder or lightning, but instead a likely meteor. We continue to monitor feeds from astronomical agencies for official confirmation of a meteor. #miwx — NWS Detroit (@NWSDetroit) January 17, 2018 
 
 Fred Levine e-mailed that he was sitting in his living room in Commerce Township at about 8:19 p.m. when he saw what appeared to be lightning outside his west-facing front door. 
 
 Facebook user Claire Ceresnie posted this comment: "In Livonia I saw a big flash in the northwestern sky above my house. I thought maybe I've been watching too much sci-fi on Netflix." 
 
 More: Michigan meteor: Here's everything we know 
 
 More: Which type of meteorite landed in Michigan? NASA 90% sure it knows 
 
 And Facebook user Carol Peck Kazmierski posted: "Saw a fireball in the sky and then a couple minutes later there was a loud boom and the house shook. Grosse Ile." 
 
 Redford Township police issued this alert: "The loud flash and rumble did not occur in Redford. Please do not tie up 911 ..." 
 
 “When Armageddon is near, you better get out of of here. Looking like a Deep Impact. I ain’t afraid of no ‘stroid” #metrodetroitmeteorpic.twitter.com/MdibIt82TZ — Topher No Grace (@topherlaine) January 17, 2018 
 
 WAS IT A METEOR??? This video captures the bright light everyone has seen in the sky tonight. Courtesy of #Local4 viewer Kevin McCombs. pic.twitter.com/RY4u23jYAY — Jason Colthorp (@JasonColthorp) January 17, 2018 
 
 Saw something moving across the sky. Can first notice it over my neighbors garage moving from right to left. pic.twitter.com/hyVfUt3m5z — Kevin Colbert (@kgcolbert1) January 17, 2018 
 
 Contact Robert Allen on Twitter @rallenMI or rallen@freepress.com. 
 
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– Officials in Cyprus are baffled by reports that a meteor streaking across the nighttime sky exploded overhead with a thunderous bang. Police say eyewitnesses reported seeing a blue glow emanating from the object that raced over the east Mediterranean island's Troodos mountain range shortly before midnight Thursday, per the AP. "We have yet to confirm that it was in fact a meteorite but it is more than likely that it was," says police spokesman Andreas Angelides, per AFP. A Cyprus Geological Department official says that there's no indication the object struck the ground and that it probably "exploded in the sky." The police official says numerous reports spoke of "a loud explosion" followed by "the ground shaking." (This YouTube video shows a bright flash.) Authorities are looking for possible remnants of the object.