Meteor attack in Russia injures 1,200, causes billion rubles of damage
The Russian Academy of Sciences, which investigates the unexpected "meteor attack" in the Urals, has shared preliminary results with the general public.
"According to our
estimates, the body was a few meters large, it weighed about ten tons, and its
power was a few kilotons. The celestial body entered the atmosphere at the
speed of 15-20 kilometers per second, collapsed at an altitude of 30-50
kilometers, and the movement of fragments at high speed caused powerful glow
and a strong shock wave. The bulk of the material of the falling body
evaporated, the remaining pieces slowed down and could fall to the ground as
meteorites," ITAR-TASS quoted the press service of the
RAS.
The flight of the
meteorite in the sky over the Chelyabinsk region was accompanied with three
explosions of varying power, the chairman of the regional branch of the Russian
Geographical Society, Sergey Zakharov said. "From what I saw, the balls of
fire were flying from the south-east to north-west. There were three explosions
that were preceded with a bright flash of light, with a temperature of
approximately 2,500 degrees Centigrade. The first explosion was the
strongest," the scientist said.
According to most recent
information from the Interior Ministry, as many as 1,200 people suffered from
the meteor attack. The local authorities have evaluated the damage at one
billion rubles.
A report from the
Russian Geographical Society said it was a bolide explosion, rather than a
meteor shower. "A bolide is a large celestial body, actually a large
meteor, that exploded when entering the lower, denser layers of the atmosphere,
and showered the ground with debris, - said Zakharov. - A meteor shower is
practically safe - it is a flow of crushed rocks falling from space. Repeat: we
had a fireball, or a bolide explosion."
"A Bright white flash of light was so intense that it fully illuminated the huge yard of the apartment building where I live, - the scientist shared his personal impressions. - Its brightness was increasing incrementally - the flash lasted for about five seconds in total. Everything was happening in absolute silence. The sound that is, the shock wave, came six minutes later. Immediately after the explosion dogs started whining, flocks of pigeons flew up into the sky, car alarms went on. Nobody could understand what had happened ....."
"A Bright white flash of light was so intense that it fully illuminated the huge yard of the apartment building where I live, - the scientist shared his personal impressions. - Its brightness was increasing incrementally - the flash lasted for about five seconds in total. Everything was happening in absolute silence. The sound that is, the shock wave, came six minutes later. Immediately after the explosion dogs started whining, flocks of pigeons flew up into the sky, car alarms went on. Nobody could understand what had happened ....."
According to experts,
the explosion occurred at the height of about 60-70 km. The estimated power of
the blast is 1 - 10 kilotons. "But according to measurements from the
other side of the city, the height could be 30 km. In this case, the power of
the explosion was from 0.1 to 1 kiloton. The epicenter of the explosion was to
the south of Chelyabinsk," said the scientist.
Meanwhile, Interior
Ministry officials said that two fragments of the meteorite were found in the
Chebarkul district of the Chelyabinsk region. Another one was found in
Zlatoust.
Official representative
of the Central Military District, Yaroslav Roshchupkin, said that the military
had found the location of the meteorite fall. The diameter of the crater is six
meters.
EMERCOM officials are
careful in their comments about the recovered fragments of the space body.
"The fragments range from 5 mm to 1 cm. We do not have any precise
information yet," officials told Interfax.
The Russian president is
concerned about the situation with the fall of the meteorite, ITAR-TASS said.
He held a meeting with the head of the Russian Emergencies Ministry, in which
Minister Vladimir Puchkov requested Moscow specialists should be sent to the
Chelyabinsk region.
The fall of the
meteorite in the Chelyabinsk region affected, according to latest reports, up
to 600 local residents. Dozens were hospitalized. "As many as 571 people
have asked for help, 34 were hospitalized," officials said. Two victims
remain in a serious condition. Meanwhile, according to the governor of the
Chelyabinsk region, 725 people sought medical treatment, including 159
children.
Many people are still
shocked about what happened. An employee of one of the branches of The Post of
Russia was hospitalized with a heart attack. The blast frightened many
children, who were at school at the time of the incident.
More than 100,000 square
meters of windows have been smashed in the Chelyabinsk region as a result of
the explosion. A total of almost 3,000 apartment buildings have been damaged.
To repair the shattered windows, the local authorities want to resort to the
help of a local glass factory. However, the number of workers at the plant is
not enough to help people quickly, so the authorities seek the assistance of
volunteers.
Windows were shatters in
34 medical institutions, 361 child care centers, schools and kindergartens.
As of 8:00 p.m. local
time, February 16, the number of victims increased to 985 people. Forty-three
people were hospitalized. Two remain in a critical condition. No
casualties have been reported.
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