Mysterious car-sized object that washed up on Australian beach thought to be ‘space junk’

A mystery object found on a remote Australian beach may be space junk from a foreign rocket, officials believe.

The giant metal cylinder - about the size of a small car - was found washed up at Green Head, about 250km (155 miles) north of the city of Perth.

It was reported to police by residents near the coast on Sunday afternoon (16 July).

The Western Australia Police Force said in a statement on Tuesday that the item is believed to be “space debris” and they do not believe the object originated from a commercial aircraft.

Police also urged people to refrain from drawing conclusions, as several rumours linked it to UFOs while others to the missing Malaysian MH370 flight.