DEBRIS from a space satellite that fell from its orbit struck a six-year-old boy in Shaanxi Province last week, according to a report in the Beijing Youth Daily.

Wu Fusheng, the father of the boy named Wu Jie, remembers hearing a "thundering" sound and saw a piece of metal plummet from the sky, finally hitting a persimmon tree under which his son was playing with other children.

The boy was taken to hospital where doctors found he had suffered a fractured toe and a swelling on his forehead.

The satellite debris was a block of aluminum, 80 centimetres by 50 centimetres and weighing 10 kilograms.

The freak accident also hit the Wu family's finances. They had to borrow 400 yuan (US$48) from a neighbour to pay for the medical treatment.

After the remains of the satellite had crashed to earth, the village head noticed that the air had a smoky, gunpowdery smell and thought a plane had crashed nearby. He requested that the village be evacuated.

Later, after a total of 19 metal fragments had been recovered, it was found that the debris was the outermost shell of the Resource Second Satellite which had broken up after falling from orbit.

Local police and authorities have made a list of all the debris and are waiting for more expert investigation.

The satellite was supposed to have crashed into an uninhabited mountain area in Shanyang County but had landed instead in nearby Yanghe village. The mishap was blamed on unexpected weather conditions.

The government will pick up the cost of Wu Jie's medical treatment and also pay some compensation to his family. (Star News)