Meteorite Explodes Above Russia’s Ural Mountains
Trail of a meteorite crossing the early morning sky above the city of Kamensk-Uralsky February 15, 2013, is seen in this still image taken from video footage from a dashboard journey recorder and obtained by REUTERS TV. More than 500 people were injured when a meteorite shot across the sky and exploded over central Russia on Friday, sending fireballs crashing to Earth, shattering windows and damaging buildings. REUTERS/Amateur video via Reuters TV (RUSSIA – Tags: DISASTER ENVIRONMENT TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY) – RTR3DTR6
A meteor half the size of a football field entered the earth’s atmosphere at a speed of 33,000 miles per hour and exploded over Russia’s Ural Mountains, causing a shockwave that shattered windows and damaged walls in the town of Chelyabinsk.
Almost a 1,000 people needed medical care after the incident, mostly for glass cuts.
The BBC’s Rafael Saakov in Moscow says much of the incident was recorded on cars’ dashboard cameras which are very popular in Russia.