Russia Victimised by Meteorite shower injuring 100

Chelyabinsk, 900 miles east of Moscow and close to the Kazakhstan border, Urals region of Russia were hit by terrifying meteorite shower early this morning injuring more than 100 residents.

A large object flashed across the sky at around 9.20am local time (03.20 UK time), evidently breaking into several pieces.Pictures show a streak of smoke followed by several bright blasts of flames while eyewitnesses spoke of several devastating explosions rocking buildings and shattering glass. 

Fragments of the meteor fell in a thinly populated area of the Chelyabinsk region, the emergency ministry said in a statement.A total of 102 people called for medical assistance following the incident, according to interior ministry spokesman Vadim Kolesnikov, mostly for treatment of injuries from glass broken by the explosions.

Mr Kolsenikov also said about 6,000 square feet of a roof at a zinc factory collapsed.
Reports conflicted on what happened in the clear skies. 

A spokeswoman for the emergency ministry, Irina Rossius, said there was a meteor shower, but another ministry spokeswoman, Elena Smirnikh, was quoted by the Interfax news agency as saying it was a single meteorite. Four schoolchildren were known to have been injured from broken glass. 

One eyewitness Gulnara Dudka, in her 20s, gave a dramatic account of the meteorite, telling how she feared 'doomsday' had arrived, reported the Siberian Times. 

'What was it? People said it was a plane that fell and exploded,' she said. 


'I saw a bright blast from behind me. Everything was lit up, very bright light. It was like from Armageddon movie when the meteorite rain started, I really thought it was like doomsday. It was so scary especially the explosion. It was very strong. I am speechless. It was so strong. My camera couldn't reproduce how strong the bang was.'

First reports suggested that there had been a plane crash but officials confirmed it was one or more meteorites falling to Earth. The space objects struck on the same day that an unrelated giant asteroid is expected to fly safely past earth.The meteorite apparently broke up, one part falling close to a school and another near a factory where cables were damaged either from the falling object or the associated explosion.

Reports also suggested fragments fell on Satka, 200km (120 miles) from Chelyabinsk, the regional capital. Other reports suggested a meteorite shower.
'I was sitting at home and typing something on my computer. Suddenly there was a huge bright flash,' said Konstantin Zharinov, an historian and journalist from Chelyabinsk. At first I thought something happened at my neighbours place but a minute later the sound of the explosion came.'
He said ' many lost their windows, glass is everywhere in the streets'.

The meteorite flew across the Russian sky from the direction of Kazakhstan, its trajectory going over southern Siberia, above the Tyumen, Kurgan and Sverdlovsk regions, said the head of the Urals regional branch of the Emergencies Ministry press service, Vadim Grebennikov.At the moment we are checking the territories and counting how many towns and settlements suffered from it. 

'Preliminary information says the meteorite did not fall down but exploded in the air. '

Radiation levels were normal, said officials. 


Residents in one 19 storey block reported feeling the shockwaves of the explosions.
The sounds of car alarms and breaking windows could be heard in the area, said a witness, and there were reports that the internet and mobile networks were temporarily down.

'Preliminary indications are that it was a meteorite rain,' said an emergency official.
'We have information about a blast at 10,000-meter (32,800-feet) altitude. It is being verified.'

The trace from a falling object could be seen in Yekaterinburg, some 200 kilometres (125 miles) southeast of Chelyabinsk, said a witness cited by Reuters.