Meteorite Causes Explosion In Central Russia

Meteorite Causes Explosion In Central Russia

A meteorite that fell in Central Russia resulted to injuries to 400 people as car alarms were set off and windows were shattered.

Residents heard an explosion and saw a bright light before feeling a shockwave. The white trail left by the meteorite was visible for 125 miles or 200 kilometers.

Authorities in Chelyabinsk city revealed that around 400 people requested for medical assistance following the incident. Most of them suffered light injuries due to flying glass.

Although no one was killed by the incident, President Vladimir Putin was informed about it along with Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev. Officials of a local ministry indicated that the meteor shower may be connected with the asteroid that is set to pass by the Earth.

The meteorite caused the loud noise that sounded like an explosion and sent shockwaves across the center of the city.

A spokeswoman from the Chelyabinsk Zinc plant revealed that one of its walls was damage although it did not pose any threat to the environment. The last time a meteorite supposedly caused a huge area was in 1908 where destroyed an area measuring over 1,250 square miles or 2,000 square kilometers.

An asteroid dubbed 2012 DA14 is set to make a close encounter with the Earth. The asteroid will be the closest encounter that the Earth ever has with a space object since scientists started to monitor them around fifteen years ago.

The event was described by the Emergencies Ministry as a meteor shower with fireballs. The radiation in the background was considered at normal levels as authorities advised residents to remain calm.

Residents were also advised to remain indoors unless it was necessary for them to go out. A blast was also heard around 32,800 feet or 10,000 meters in the air, which gave indications that the meteorite already entered the atmosphere of the Earth.

Posted by James Fried on Saturday February 16 2013, 3:48 AM EST. Ref: Reuters. Link. All trademarks acknowledged. Filed under Featured News, World. Comments and Trackbacks closed. Follow responses: RSS 2.0