Note: The information below was reported within an hour of the meteor sighting. And information may change. Continue reading Examiner for any new developments.
It wasn't a scene from "Armageddon," but it resembled one. A meteorite streaked across the Russian sky today and crashed into the earth.
Russia Today (RT) reported that the meteorite streaked over the Ural Mountains and crashed into Chelyabinsk, which is located about 1,100 miles east of Moscow.
"According to preliminary data, the flashes seen over the Urals were caused by [a] meteorite shower," the Emergency Ministry told Itar-Tass news agency, according to RT. They also said that no local civil aircraft or local power stations were damaged.
The Russian military said they shot the meteorite using a missile salvo which blew it into pieces at about 12 miles above the earth, according to RT.
RT reported that Chelyabinsk residents described it as having an earthquake and thunder at the same time. The city's residents said the air smells like gun powder and there are currently reports of broken windows and cellphone and internet disruptions.
Twitter user a_koretsky posted a photo of a warehouse that appears to have been damaged by the meteorite. Many of the area's residents are tweeting their photos and uploading videos to YouTube.
RT reported that this event may be related to asteroid 2012 DA14, which will narrowly pass the earth today. The last known large meteorite to impact Russia was in 1908.
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