Meteorite hits central Russia, more than 500 people hurt
Fri Feb 15, 2013
reuters.com
(Reuters) - More than 500 people were injured when a meteorite shot across the sky and exploded
over central Russia on Friday, sending fireballs crashing to Earth, shattering windows and damaging
buildings. People heading to work in Chelyabinsk heard what sounded like an explosion, saw a
bright light and then felt a shockwave according to a Reuters correspondent in the industrial city
1,500 km (950 miles) east of Moscow. A fireball blazed across the horizon, leaving a long white trail
in its wake which could be seen as far as 200 km (125 miles) away in Yekaterinburg. Car alarms
went off, windows shattered and mobile phone networks were interrupted. "I was driving to work, it
was quite dark, but it suddenly became as bright as if it was day," said Viktor Prokofiev, 36, a
resident of Yekaterinburg in the Urals Mountains. "I felt like I was blinded by headlights," he said.
No fatalities were reported but President Vladimir Putin, who was due to host Finance Ministry
officials from the Group of 20 nations in Moscow, and Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev were
informed. A local ministry official said such incidents were extremely rare and Friday's events might
have been linked to an asteroid the size of an Olympic swimming pool due to pass Earth at a
distance of 27,520 km (17,100 miles) but this was not confirmed. Russia's space agency Roscosmos
said the meteorite was travelling at a speed of 30 km (19 miles) per second and that such events
were hard to predict. The Interior Ministry said the meteorite explosion had caused a sonic boom.
Russia's Emergencies Ministry said 514 people had sought medical help, mainly for light injuries
caused by flying glass, and that 112 of those were kept in hospital. Search groups were set up to
look for the remains of the meteorite. "There have never been any cases of meteorites breaking up
at such a low level over Russia before," said Yuri Burenko, head of the Chelyabinsk branch of the
Emergencies Ministry. WINDOWS BREAK, FRAMES BUCKLE
Windows were shattered on Chelyabinsk's central Lenin Street and some of the frames of shop
fronts buckled. A loud noise, resembling an explosion, rang out at around 9.20 a.m. (0520 GMT).
The shockwave could be felt in apartment buildings in the industrial city's centre. "I was standing at
a bus stop, seeing off my girlfriend," said Andrei, a local resident who did not give his second name.
"Then there was a flash and I saw a trail of smoke across the sky and felt a shockwave that
smashed windows."
A wall was damaged at the Chelyabinsk Zinc Plant (CHZNq.L) (CHZN.MM) but a spokeswoman said
there was no environmental threat. Although such events are rare, a meteorite is thought to have
devastated an area of more than 2,000 sq km (1,250 miles) in Siberia in 1908, smashing windows
as far as 200 km (125 miles) from the point of impact. The Emergencies Ministry described Friday's
events as a "meteor shower in the form of fireballs" and said background radiation levels were
normal. It urged residents not to panic. Chelyabinsk city authorities urged people to stay indoors
unless they needed to pick up their children from schools and kindergartens. They said what
sounded like a blast had been heard at an altitude of 10,000 metres (32,800 feet). The U.S. space
agency NASA has said an asteroid known as 2012 DA14, about 46 metres in diameter, would have
an encounter with Earth closer than any asteroid since scientists began routinely monitoring them
about 15 years ago. Television, weather and communications satellites fly about 500 miles (800 km)
higher. The moon is 14 times farther away. (Additional reporting by Natalia Shurmina in
Yekaterinburg and Gabriela Baczynska in Moscow, Writing by Alexei Anishchuk and Timothy
Heritage, Editing by Michael Holden)
Meteorite hits central Russia, injures at least 400
15th February, 2013
http://dawn.com
The trail of a falling object is seen above a residential apartment block in the Urals city of
Chelyabinsk, on February 15, 2013. A heavy meteor shower rained down today on central Russia,
sowing panic as the hurtling space debris smashed windows and injured stunned locals, officials
said. — AFP Photo
Around 400 people were injured when a meteorite shot across the sky in central Russia
on Friday sending fireballs crashing to Earth, smashing windows and setting off car
alarms.
Residents on their way to work in Chelyabinsk heard what sounded like an explosion, saw a bright
light and then felt a shockwave, according to a Reuters correspondent in the industrial city 1,500
kilometres east of Moscow. The meteorite raced across the horizon, leaving a long white trail in its
wake which could be seen as far as 200 kilometres away in Yekaterinburg. Car alarms went off,
windows shattered and mobile phones worked only intermittently. Chelyabinsk city authorities said
around 400 people sought medical help, mainly for light injuries caused by flying glass. “I was
driving to work, it was quite dark, but it suddenly became as bright as if it was day,” said Viktor
Prokofiev, 36, a resident of Yekaterinburg in the Ural Mountains. “I felt like I was blinded by
headlights,” he said. No fatalities were reported but President Vladimir Putin, who was due to host
Finance Ministry officials from the Group of 20 nations in Moscow, and Prime Minister Dmitry
Medvedev were informed. A local ministry official said the meteor shower may have been connected
with an asteroid the size of an Olympic swimming pool that was due to pass Earth at a distance of
27,520 kilometres, but this could not be confirmed. Windows were shattered on Chelyabinsk’s
central Lenin Street and some of the frames of shop fronts buckled. A loud noise, resembling an
explosion, rang out at around 9.20 am. (0520 GMT). The shockwave could be felt in apartment
buildings in the industrial city’s centre. “I was standing at a bus stop, seeing off my girlfriend,” said
Andrei, a local resident who did not give his second name. “Then there was a flash and I saw a trail
of smoke across the sky and felt a shockwave that smashed windows,” he added. A wall was
damaged at the Chelyabinsk Zinc Plant but there was no environmental threat, a plant
spokeswoman said. Such incidents are rare. A meteorite is thought to have devastated an area of
more than 2,000 sq kilometres in Siberia in 1908, smashing windows as far as 200 kilometres from
the point of impact. The Emergencies Ministry described Friday’s events as a “meteor shower in the
form of fireballs” and said background radiation levels were normal. It urged residents not to panic.
Chelyabinsk city authorities urged people to stay indoors unless they needed to pick up their
children from schools and kindergartens. They said a blast had been heard at an altitude of 10,000
metres, apparently signalling it occurred when the meteorite entered Earth’s atmosphere. The US
space agency Nasa has said an asteroid known as 2012 DA14, about 46 metres in diameter, would
have an encounter with Earth closer than any asteroid since scientists began routinely monitoring
them about 15 years ago. Television, weather and communications satellites fly about 500
kilometres higher. The moon is 14 times farther away.