China says it is tracking its out-of-control rocket amid fears it could drop anywhere on Earth

China is tracking an out-of-control rocket that is set to fall to Earth in the coming days, it has said.

The country committed to provide information on the rocket’s movements in a timely manner, its foreign ministry said.

There are fears that the rocket could drop unpredictably down to Earth, and could pose a danger to any populated areas that it drops onto.

The Long March 5B rocket was launched over the weekend. Since then, it has begun falling back down to Earth – with even China seemingly unable to predict where exactly it will fall.

It is an international practice to allow stages of rockets to burn up on re-entering of earth’s atmosphere, said ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian at a regular media briefing, when asked if China knows when and where the rocket debris could land.

It is understood that this type of rocket adopts a special technical design and most components will be ablated and destroyed during reentry, with a very low probability of causing harm to aviation and the ground, Zhao said.

Additional reporting by Reuters