(Reuters) - A
meteor streaked across the sky and exploded over central Russia on
Friday, sending fireballs crashing to earth which shattered windows and
damaged buildings, injuring more than 500 people.
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 950 miles east of Moscow.
The
fireball, travelling at a speed of 19 miles per second according to
Russia's space agency Roscosmos, had blazed across the horizon, leaving a
long white trail in its wake which could be seen as far as 125 miles
away.
Car alarms went off, windows
broke and mobile phone networks were interrupted. The Interior Ministry
said the meteor explosion had caused a sonic boom.
"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.
Russia's
Emergencies Ministry said 514 people had sought medical help, mainly
for light injuries caused by flying glass, and that 112 of them were
kept in hospital.
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