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The mysterious object found on Green Head Beach in Western Australia

A mysterious cylinder has washed up on an Australian beach, leaving local residents and police baffled as to its origin.

The giant, unidentified gold-coloured metallic object was discovered by residents at Green Head Beach, about 250 kilometres (155 miles) north of Perth, Western Australia.

It is said to be about 2.5 metres wide and between 2.5 and 3 m long.

Western Australia Police said an analysis by the Department of Fire and Emergency Services and the Western Australian Chemical Centre determined the object was safe and did not pose a risk to the local community, according to reports. Authorities asked the public to stay away from the cylinder while efforts to formally identify it continued.

They said the object did not appear to have come from a commercial aircraft.

The Australian Space Agency said the cylinder could have come from a “foreign space launch vehicle” and added that it was in contact with its global counterparts.

“We are currently conducting investigations related to this object located on a beach near Jurien Bay in Western Australia,” the organization said.

Rocket fuel tank

Geoffrey Thomas, an aviation expert, told the BBC the object could be a fuel tank from a rocket that fell into the Indian Ocean sometime last year.

Local residents reportedly first spotted the object over the weekend.

About 30 people went to the beach to get a closer look, Green Head resident Garth Griffiths told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

“A local lady and her partner discovered him floating at the water’s edge and pulled him out in their 4×4 vehicle,” Griffiths said.

“It was a great social evening. It was a lovely, peaceful evening, the kids were digging sand castles all around,” she added.

Griffiths described the object as a semi-cylindrical object made of a lightweight carbon fiber material called “lightweight resin.”

Police said they would keep the object secure until it was removed.

“This action has been taken to ensure the preservation of potential evidence and to facilitate further forensic examination,” a Western Australia Police spokesman said.