Authorities were investigating whether a cylindrical object the size of a small car that washed up on a remote Australian coast Tuesday was space debris from an alien rocket. Police cordoned off the shell-covered object after it was discovered in Green Head, about 250 kilometers (155 miles) north of Perth, on Sunday evening.

The Australian Space Agency said it was working with other space agencies to identify the object, which appears to be made in part from woven material.

“The object may be from an alien space launch vehicle and we are in contact with global partners who can provide more information,” the agency wrote on Twitter.

European Space Agency engineer Andrea Boyd said his colleagues believe the object rising from the Indian Ocean fell from an Indian rocket during the satellite’s launch.

“Based on its shape and size, we’re pretty sure this is a propellant from an Indian rocket used for many different missions,” he told Australian Broadcasting Corp.

Whoever launched the object into space will be responsible for its destruction.

“There’s the United Nations Office of Outer Space Affairs, and there’s the Outer Space Treaty that everybody signs, and anyone who launches something into space is fully responsible for it,” Boyd said.

The Indian Space Research Organization did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Tuesday.

Western Australian police said on Monday that the government’s chemical analysis had determined the facility was safe and “no current risk to the community”. Authorities had previously found the device dangerous and urged the public to stay away. Police said the device will be seized after its origin is officially determined.

“The police will ensure that the object is protected until it is removed, and the public is urged to stay away from this place,” the message said.

Some early media reports suggested the find could be part of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, the Boeing 777 Boeing 777 that disappeared in the Indian Ocean in 2014, claiming 239 lives. However, this theory was quickly disproved.

Curious locals quickly gathered to take pictures with the object on Sunday before the police arrived. Australian National University astrophysicist and cosmologist Brad Tucker said the object “definitely looks like a cosmic pile.” The rocket’s upper stage may contain the carcinogenic fuel hydrazine, so those in the vicinity should keep their distance, Tucker said. Source