Meteorite Falls In Russian Urals

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Published: 15 February, 2013, 11:42
Edited: 15 February, 2013, 21:48

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Natural disasters, Space, Russia,Accident, Science

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An aerial meteorite explosion has wreaked havoc in Russia’s Urals. The blast caused widespread panic, damaged buildings, blew out thousands of windows and lead hundreds to seek medical attention for minor injuries.

The incident was caused by a bolide, officials said. Multiple dashboard videos appeared online, showing huge fireballs flying over buildings and exploding with a strong blast as the meteriote broke into pieces mid-air. A local zinc factory was the worst-hit, with some of its walls collapsed. 

‘Shock and frustration’: Locals report on meteorite crash in Russian Urals (VIDEO)

17:50 GMT: The authorities of the Chelyabinsk region assessed the damage from the meteorite at 1 billion rubles, said Governor Mikhail Yurevich .

17:49 GMT: The Emergency Ministry said that at least 300 homes will have to be glazed. ‘As a result of an emergency situation in a number of towns and cities of Chelyabinsk region there are isolated cases of damage to the upper floors windows in 297 buildings, including 6 hospitals and 16 schools and pre-schools’ the ministry’s spokesman said. In addition, the work of three gas distribution stations was interrupted disrupting the gas supply to over 2000 people. Presently the gas supply has been restored in full, according to the ministry.

17:34 GMT: 1200 people were injured in Chelyabinsk region as a result of the meteorite fall, Russian Interior Ministry spokesman said.

16:35 GMT: The Emergency Ministry has since denied sending out SMS warnings about the meteor shower in the Chelyabinsk region. The ministry added that informing residents started after the incident and the spokesperson who spread the false information on the incident was fired.

16:19 GMT: The fireball that hit Russia’s Urals is the largest rock to strike the planet since 1908, Nature Magazine says. The blast was even more powerful than North Korea’s recent nuclear test, added the UK journal. Unlike the Russian Academy of Science, it estimated that the mass of the fireball was around 40 tons before it entered the atmosphere. Russian scientists put the mass at 10 tons.

15:55 GMT: Two hockey matches in the city of Chelyabinsk were cancelled after a wall at the city’s ice arena was damaged by a piece of meteorite.

15:42 GMT: NASA said that the Chelyabinsk fireball had nothing to do with the approaching 2012 DA14 asteroid, as some scientists had previously suggested.

"The trajectory of the Russian meteorite was significantly different than the trajectory of the asteroid 2012 DA14, making it a completely unrelated object,” the space agency said on its website. “In videos of the meteor, it is seen to pass from left to right in front of the rising sun, which means it was traveling from north to south. Asteroid DA14's trajectory is in the opposite direction, from south to north."

15:28 GMT: The Russian Academy of Science now estimates the meteorite had a mass of around 10 tons before it entered Earth’s atmosphere, and began disintegrating at an altitude of between 30 and 50 kilometers.

15:01 GMT: Around 1,000 people have sustained injuries in Chelyabinsk due to the meteorite strike, says the Emergencies Ministry. 159 of them are children.

13:20 GMT: The number of people injured in the meteorite blast has risen to 950, Governor of Chelyabinsk Region Mikhail Yurevitch said.

13:10 GMT: Roscosmos said they did not track the meteorite that fell near Chelyabinsk. “Our ground facilities and, as I understand, those abroad too did not the monitor this celestial body,” the agency spokesman said.

13:02 GMT: Nearly 3,000 buildings in Chelyabinsk were damaged to varying extents by the meteor shower, including 34 medical facilities and 361 schools and kindergartens, the city administration’s website reported. The total amount of window glass shattered amounts to 100,000 square meters, the site said, citing city administration head Sergey Davydov.

12:52 GMT: The meteorite’s combustion products won’t stay in the atmosphere for long, and will soon come down with the rain, Russian scientists said. The 50-ton meteorite is believed to have caused no radioactive or chemical pollution.

12:49 GMT: There’s practically “no chance” such incident could happen in the region again, the Russian Academy of Sciences said. Roshydromet monitoring systems have detected flybys of several meteorites overnight and in the morning.

A hole in Chebarkul Lake made by meteorite debris. Photo by Chebarkul town head Andrey Orlov.

12:38 GMT: First images of the crater from the meteorite fall appear online. 

12:24 GMT: The military had nothing to do with the aerial meteorite explosion, the Urals Emergency Ministry said: "Russia's defense ministry took no action connected to the incident. No aircrafts has been registered in the air at the given period of time." Earlier, there were unconfirmed reports that the military had shot down the falling meteorite, shattering it into pieces.

12:21 GMT: Vladimir Puchkov, the head of the Russian Emergency Ministry, is flying to Chelyabinsk to hold an emergency meeting with regional governor Mikhail Yurevich concerning the meteor shower incident, which injured over 725 people.

Weather sattelite Meteosat 10 has taken an image of the meteriote shortly after entering the atmosphere.(Copyright 2013 © EUMETSAT)

12:05 GMT: Six cities and four small towns saw damage from the air blast produced by the meteorite, mostly shattered windows, Itar-Tass reported, citing police officials.

12:01 GMT: The site where the meteorite is believed to have fallen has been closed off by military units wearing special protective suits.

12:00 GMT: Three municipalities of the Chelyabinsk region have declared a state of emergency. "8 out of 43 municipalities have considerably suffered from the fall of space debris, 3 are in state of emergency," Emergency Ministry spokesperson Igor Murog said.

11:42 GMT: A phone hotline has been launched for Chelyabinsk residents seeking psychological care.

11:40 GMT: Two people injured in the meteorite incident are in intensive care, RIA Novosti reported, citing Chelyabinsk officials.

11:36 GMT: Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the country’s Emergency Ministry to evaluate the damage caused by the meteorite incident, and to provide victims with all necessary aid. He said that the “astronomic aspect of the incident” is of particular interest, because analysis of the Chelyabinsk meteorite fall could help prevent future such incidents and alert residents in advance.

11:33 GMT: At least 297 apartment buildings were damaged from the meteorite fall in the Chelyabinsk region, an Emergency Ministry spokesperson told Russia 24 TV.

11:30 GMT: Parts of the Chelyabinsk meteorite are 'on sale' on some Russian websites. "Will sell meteorite pieces cheap, photos later," an announcement read.

11:19 GMT: The Russian military has explored a meteorite crater that is reportedly 6 meters in diameter; normal radiation levels were detected at the site.

11:12 GMT: Nearly 725 people have requested medical assistance in regions hit by the meteor shower.

11:10 GMT: The meteorite blast in the Chelyabinsk region may be connected to the 2012DA14 asteroid, which will pass close to Earth tonight, Tatyana Borisevich from Pulkovo Observatory told Itar-Tass.

11:00 GMT: Gas has been shut off in hundreds of Chelyabinsk homes after a security system shut it down due to the explosion.

10:55 GMT: The meteorite explosion sent animals in the Chelyabinsk zoo into a panic. Wolves and horses were reportedly the most agitated, but have now been calmed.

9:36 GMT: There is a high chance that another meteorite could enter the Earth’s atmosphere in the next few hours,Sergey Smirnov from Pulkovo Observatory told Vesti news channel.

9:31 GMT: All universities, schools and kindergartens in Chelyabinsk have been closed for two days.

9:14 GMT: Sixteen people were hospitalized after meteorite debris hit the Russian Urals.

A man identifying himself as Viktor poses for a photograph after receiving treatment for injuries sustained from a shock wave that followed after a falling object was sighted in the sky in the Urals region, at an emergency room in a hospital in Chelyabinsk February 15, 2013.(Reuters / Andrei Kuzmin)

9:07 GMT: "The object could be about a meter in diameter and weigh a few tons,” Valeriy Shuvalov of the Institute of Geosphere Dynamics told RIA-Novosti. “As it entered the atmosphere, it broke into a cloud of pieces that flew on, creating a blast wave and emitting light. That's where the flashes came from, as well as broken windows. Most of the object’s material evaporated, the remaining pieces slowed down and fell. It was most likely of iron nature as it penetrated so far through the atmosphere. However, we still don't have the exact data on the debris."

8:56 GMT: The Chelyabinsk regional governor reported that an emergency team discovered that a meteorite fell into a lake near the town of Chebarkul.

8:49 GMT: The number of people requesting medical assistance has risen to 500.

‘Shock and frustration’: Locals report on meteorite crash in Russian Urals (VIDEO)

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Published: 15 February, 2013, 11:47

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Video: A collapsed wall at the Chelyabinsk zinc factory after a meteorite fell nearby. Photo: Twitter.com user @varlamov

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A meteorite shower exploding across the skies is quite an unusual wakeup call – many people in the Russian Urals region woke up to this sight on Friday morning. The powerful blast smashed windows and rattled houses, causing widespread panic.

Meteorite crash in Russia: UFO fears spark panic in the Urals (VIDEO, PHOTOS)

Russian meteorite crash: LIVE UPDATES

Locals first reported on the incident at 9:30am (3:30 GMT) local time, as people wrote on social media of hearing explosions, complained about blown-out windows and wondered about the cause of the disturbance.

“The most unusual morning ever – to wake up from the wind and the rumble, to yell hysterically while all the family is running around shocked,” Nastya Grabluk wrote on Twitter minutes after the incident.

In the city of Chelyabinsk, many said they were shocked and frustrated this morning. “I am still young, I don’t want to die!” Zimnukhova Elena wrote on Twitter, adding: “It is a nightmare… I am still shaking and sobbing periodically.”

Those who saw the meteorite fall reported witnessing a bright flash and numerous explosions.

“My heart is still beating 200 heartbeats a minute! … I saw this terrible flash, it was red-orange! My eyes are still hurting,” a witness from Chelyabinsk wrote on a local web forum. “I turned off all the lights, sat the kids on a couch and waited… Oh, my God, I thought the war had begun.”

Natalia, another Chelyabinsk resident, also expressed frustration. “Windows were blown out, furniture was jumping, I am shaking now. What do I do? I first grabbed my cat and passport and ran outside, but then was told to come back home, get some water and sit here,” she said, according to Komsomolskaya Pravda.

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The sound of the explosion and the shaking of buildings triggered a wave of speculation on Twitter. “I was stunned… They say it is meteorite!! Oh yes, it had to necessarily fall on Chelyabinsk,” city resident Arina Pazhova tweeted. 

“Well, it is either a plane or a meteorite,” Bogdan Sevastyanov wrote on his Twitter account.

Mobile connections in some areas of Chelyabinsk shut down after a meteorite reportedly crashed into an antenna. For many people, the Internet has become the only way to make sure that their friends and family are fine.

In the initial hours after the explosion, people posted hundreds of messages on Twitter asking their loved ones if they were safe.

As the shock receded, many began to crack jokes: “You would rather like to see Bruce Willis in such situation than Russian Emergency Ministry,” Alina Vostrina said on Twitter.

Many fear that more meteorites are on the way: “Chelyabinsk, attention! They say, that at 11 pm this may repeat, because not [all] of the debris have fallen yet. Stay away from windows and put down the curtains,” Komsomolskaya Pravda quoted Anna from Chelyabinsk as saying.

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MOSCOW (AP) - A meteor streaked across the sky above Russia's Ural Mountains on Friday morning, causing sharp explosions and reportedly injuring around 100 people, including many hurt by broken glass.

Fragments of the meteor fell in a thinly populated area of the Chelyabinsk region, the Emergency Ministry said in a statement.

Interior Ministry spokesman Vadim Kolesnikov said 102 people had called for medical assistance following the incident, mostly for treatment of injuries from glass broken by the explosions.

Kolsenikov also said about 600 square meters (6000 square feet) of a roof at a zinc factory had collapsed.

Reports conflicted on what exactly happened in the clear skies. A spokeswoman for the Emergency Ministry, Irina Rossius, told The Associated Press that 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.

Amateur video broadcast on Russian television showed an object speeding across the sky about 9:20 a.m. local time (0320 GMT), leaving a thick white contrail and an intense flash.

Read more: http://www.wxyz.com/dpp/news/russian-officials-report-a-meteorite-hits-east-of-moscow-causing-possible-injuries-at-nearby-school/?%3F%3F%3F%3F%3F#ixzz2KxDbwGDN

A meteor shower has rained down on central Russia, reportedly injuring dozens of people and causing widespread damage. Witnesses in the Ural region reported flashes and sharp explosions in the morning sky.

Russian Interior Ministry spokesman Vadim Kolesnikov said that at least 100 people called for medical assistance early Friday when meteor fragments hit the sparsely populated Ural's region of Chelyabinsk.

Most of those injured were treated for minor cuts and bruises from shattered glass broken by the explosions, the local police department told Russia's RIA Novosti news agency. The impact reportedly blew out windows from a number of buildings, although the extent of the damage remains unclear.

"A meteorite disintegrated above the Urals [mountain range in central Russia], partially burning up in the lower atmosphere," the local office of the national Emergencies Ministry announced in a statement.

"At 11 a.m. local time [0500 GMT] we received numerous calls of panic, power cuts and contusions," the Interfax news agency quoted the local government as saying.

A nuclear power plant in the region is thought to have been unaffected.

ccp/mkg (AFP, AP, Reuters)

400 injured by meteorite falls in Russian Urals

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A germinid meteor streaks from the sky over a barn in Saukville, Wis. on Dec. 14, 2012. (Photo: AP, Jeffrey Phelps)

15 February 2013 /AP, MOSCOW

 A meteor streaked across the sky above Russia's Ural Mountains on Friday morning, causing sharp explosions and injuring more than 400 people, many of them hurt by broken glass.

Fragments of the meteor fell in a thinly populated area of the Chelyabinsk region, the Emergency Ministry said in a statement.

Russian meteorite crash: LIVE UPDATES

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Published: 15 February, 2013, 11:42

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The Russian Urals region has been stricken by a sudden cosmic attack. Unidentified flying objects exploded over several major cities, including Chelyabinsk, where the blast waves blew out windows and disrupted mobile connections.

The Emergency Ministry said the incident was caused by a shower of meteorite debris. Unconfirmed reports suggested that a meteorite was shot down by Russian air defenses. Multiple dashboard videos appeared online, showing huge fireballs flying over buildings and exploding with a strong blast. A local zinc factory was the worst-hit, with some of its walls collapsed. 

8:30 GMT: Residents of Chelyabinsk buy out plastic wrap to screen the windows blown off by the meteor shower blast wave, as temperatures are expected to fall to -14°C at night.

8:20 GMT: More than 400 people have requested medical attention for minor injuries after a meteor shower hit the Russian Urals region. The number of injured may change, police said.

Damaged factory in Chelyabinsk. Photo from znak.com

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CCTV cameras register the moment of explosion

8:10 GMT: Oleg Malkov, an aerospace scientist at Moscow State University, told Komsomolskaya Pravda newspaper that the meteorite went undetected by space scanners, likely because it was coming from the direction of the Sun. "We can only register stones coming from the direction of the night sky," he explained. Malkov confirmed that the meteor shower in the Urals was not connected to the 2012DA14 asteroid that will approach Earth in a few hours.

8:03 GMT:Up to 250 injured, 3 in critical condition after meteorite hits

7:46 GMT: Ekaterinburg’s observatory has officially deemed the incident a fireball meteor shower. No evacuations were called for, and radiation levels were determined to be normal.

7:40 GMT: Vice Premier Dmitry Rogozin wrote on Twitter that he will offer suggestions to Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev on how to prevent or mitigate meteorite damage in future.

7:30 GMT: ­The number of people seeking medical attention has risen to 150.

Broken windows and debris are seen inside a sports hall following sightings of a falling object in the sky in the Urals city of Chelyabinsk February 15, 2013.(Reuters / OOO Spetszakaz)

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Over 250 injured in meteor strike above central Russia

MOSCOW - Agence France-Presse

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Over 250 people were injured on Friday when a meteor burned up above the central Russian city of Chelyabinsk, unleashing a shock wave that shattered panes of glass, the interior ministry said.

"Over 250 people were injured, three of them seriously," the interior ministry said in a statement toRussian news agencies, adding that damage was recorded in six towns.

A meteor shower caused explosions in the lower atmosphere above Russia's Urals region on Friday, blowing out windows in some areas and leaving several people injured, officials and agencies reported.

"A meteorite exploded above the Chelyabinsk region (of the Urals). The shock wave blew out windows in several places," but no meteor fragments hit the ground, an emergencies ministry spokesman told the Interfax news agency. "According to the preliminary information, four people were injured by flying glass," the ministry added. An agency report spoke of several injuries.

Meteor shower sows panic in central Russia

A heavy meteor shower rained down on central Russia on Friday, sowing panic as the hurtling space debris smashed windows and injured dozens of stunned locals, officials said.

Television footage showed morning traffic grinding to a quick halt in the Urals city of Chelyabinsk as a blinding flash lit up the blue sky, causing some to huddle in buildings for safety.

A medical source said that 100 people came to hospitals for medical treatment, while the emergencies ministry confirmed that cellular telephone communications were temporarily cut.

"A meteorite disintegrated above the Urals (mountain range in central Russia), partially burning up in the lower atmosphere," the local office of the national emergencies ministry said in a statement.

"Fragments of the meteorite reached Earth, falling in sparsely populated areas in the Chelyabinsk region," it said.

Officials said a part of the meteorite fell 80 kilometres from the town of Satki, itself 100 kilometres west of the regional centre.

Schools were closed for the day across the region after the impact blew out windows of buildings and temperatures had plunged in central Russia to -18 degrees Celsius.

Most of those injured were treated for minor cuts and bruises from shattered glass, the local police department told the RIA Novosti news agency.

The Chelyabinsk region is Russia's industrial heartland, filled with smoke-chugging factories and other huge facilities that include a nuclear power plant and the massive Mayak atomic waste storage and treatment centre.

A spokesman for Rosatom, the Russian nuclear energy state corporation, said that its operations remained unaffected.

"All Rosatom enterprises located in the Urals region -- including the Mayak complex -- are working as normal," an unnamed Rosatom spokesman told Interfax.

The emergencies ministry said radiation levels in the region also did not change and that 20,000 rescue workers had been dispatched to help the injured and locate those required help.

The defence ministry meanwhile said it had sent soldiers "to the sites of impact." Footage of the incident broadcast on state television showed at least two bright flashes fill the sky at around 9:00 am (0500 GMT) as the streets filled with morning rush hour traffic.

Amateur footage posted on YouTube showed local men swearing in surprise and fright, and others grinding their cars to a halt.

"At first I thought it was a plane," one man told Russian state television.
Screenshot from YouTube user kinomanfilms