Russia’s Urals region has been rocked by meteorite explosions in the stratosphere. The impact wave damaged several buildings, and blew out thousands of windows amid frigid winter weather. Hundreds are seeking medical attention for minor injuries.
Meteors exploded over several major cities, including Chelyabinsk, where the blast waves blew out windows and disrupted mobile connections.
Russia's Academy of Sciences estimates size of Urals meteor at 10 tons, according to the Associated Press.
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 950 miles east of Moscow.
Army units found three meteorite debris impact sites, two of which are in an area near Chebarkul Lake, west of Chelyabinsk. The third site was found some 80 kilometers further to the northwest, near the town of Zlatoust. One of the fragments that struck near Chebarkul left a crater six meters in diameter.
Around 950 people have sought medical attention in Chelyabinsk alone because of the disaster, the region's governor Mikhail Yurevich told RIA Novosti. Over 110 of them have been hospitalized and two of them are in heavy condition. Among the injured there are 159 children, the Emergency ministry reported.
Russian news agency confirmed that background radiation levels at the sites are normal.
Don't miss any of the National Environment Examiner articles: Click the Subscribe button and enter your E-mail address. You’ll be alerted to the latest column when it's published. You can also click the E-mail button so you can send your favorite article to a friend. You can also follow on Facebook, Twitter and Google+.
Comments