The mysterious metal column found standing in Utah's desert was knocked down and dismantled by a group of men who considered it "trash", according to a witness.
Now, a second similar structure in Piatra Neamt, Romania, has also vanished. As images of the first object gleaming amid dusty red rocks spread online, many noted a vague resemblance to the so-called 'monoliths' in Stanley Kubrick's 1968 film 2001: A Space Odyssey.
The comparison prompting strained jokes about a possibly extraterrestrial origin. But photographer Ross Bernards posted images to Instagram on Monday of what he said were the object's final moments.
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