geologist

The Egyptian geologist expressed the fear that Ethiopia could use the dam to exert "military power", especially over Sudan - a strategically important ally for Egypt - as the Blue Nile and White Nile meet in Khartoum.

"The work carried out by the geologists in our research programme suggested that the complex geology of the shale basins in the UK would make it significantly more difficult and costly to extract," Bradshaw says.

Vinay Shankar Pandey, a senior local official, said a team of 10 geologists has been sent to the village to determine the cause of the flash floods.

"This particular meteor that entered the atmosphere has a long history before it made it to the ground of McDonough," Scott Harris, a geologist at the University of Georgia, said.

"It's a part of us, it's a part of our heritage… it's part of our identity and it's important to be proud of the richness of the country," the geologist tells the BBC.