A dirigible that appeared near the border with Afghanistan sparked panic among Tajik villagers, BBC Tajikistan reported on Thursday.

Many local residents thought the airship was a sign from above and started praying.

“I have no idea of what had appeared there in the sky, but I’m very afraid of it. Men say that the end of days is coming,” local resident Shamsikhon Tamliyeva told BBC Tajikistan.

“People are scared and start praying upon seeing the dirigible. Some thought it was a huge sky fish. Others said it looked like a big ball,” a local resident told the Regnum news agency.

The News Asia portal said the dirigible was first spotted on the border with Tajikistan on September 2.

Tajik Border guards said the airship did not cross into the country’s territory and was presumably used for surveillance missions by Afghan border guards.