This will be good fodder for the modern doomsday prophets when 2012 DA14 passes by today.
CHELYABINSK, Russia (Reuters) - 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.
People heading to work in Chelyabinsk heard what sounded like an explosion, saw a bright light and then felt a shockwave according to a Reuters correspondent in the industrial city 1,500 km (950 miles) east of Moscow.
Russia's Emergencies Ministry said 514 people had sought medical help, mainly for light injuries caused by flying glass, and that 112 of those were kept in hospital. Search groups were set up to look for the remains of the meteorite.
"There have never been any cases of meteorites breaking up at such a low level over Russia before," said Yuri Burenko, head of the Chelyabinsk branch of the Emergencies Ministry
Interesting that no one was killed near such a large grouping of people but it is historically rare, bordering on non-existent, that any such object hurts anyone, much less causes death.
QUOTE
the meteorite was travelling at a speed of 30 km (19 miles) per second
To be nitpicky, a meteorite technically has a speed of zero because it's hit a surface and survived the impact. Meteors are what flash through the atmosphere.
-------------- Ignorance is curable with education. Stupidity is refusing to be educated.
Those who don't read have no advantage over those who can't.
..."There have never been any cases of meteorites breaking up at such a low level over Russia before," said Yuri Burenko, head of the Chelyabinsk branch of the Emergencies Ministry
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