Meteor Explosion Injures Hundreds in Russia

Feb. 15, 2013 - PRLog -- Over 1,200 people were injured by the shock wave caused by a meteorite explosion over Russia. The four ton space rock rained down flaming stones, blew out windows, damaged buildings and injured many people on their way to work in Chelyabinsk, 950 miles west of Moscow, Russia. The meteorite was traveling about 19 miles per hour and broke apart about 30 miles over the ground.

The toll of the explosion is still being counted as Russia and the world assess the damage done by the meteorite. Over 20,000 aid workers are rushing to the area to help the injured. No one is known to be dead at this point. This type of event is extremely rare and coincidentally preceded the asteroid that will have the closest near miss with Earth in recent history.

Scientists believe the makeup of the meteorite was mostly iron. When the rock hit the atmosphere, it exploded with the force of a small atomic bomb. The sonic boom not only damaged buildings, but it set off car alarms and temporarily disabled the local cell towers. Officials say that radiation levels in the area are normal.

Of the injured, most were affected by glass shards sent flying from blown out windows when the initial boom announced the presence of the meteorite. 200 of the 1,200 known injured are children, also mostly affected by cuts from shards of glass. 48 people were hospitalized for the injuries caused by the explosion. People had rushed to the windows to see what the flash of light was when the glass shattered.

Over 3,000 buildings were damaged as well. The full extent of damage to private property is unknown. Cars hit by the fragments were damaged and some saw fires ignited because of the small bits of rock. A zinc factory suffered a roof cave-in. There is also a concern about extreme temperatures in the region without windows to keep the cold out. The regional estimate is currently at $30 million.