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Meteor hits central Russia, over 500 injured.

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  • Meteor hits central Russia, over 500 injured.

    Holy. Shit. At least it wasn't big enough to cause another Tunguska Incident.

    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.
    A fireball blazed across the horizon, leaving a long white trail in its wake which could be seen as far as 200 km (125 miles) away in Yekaterinburg. Car alarms went off, windows shattered and mobile phone networks were interrupted.

    "I was driving to work, it was quite dark, but it suddenly became as bright as if it was day," said Viktor Prokofiev, 36, a resident of Yekaterinburg in the Urals Mountains.

    "I felt like I was blinded by headlights," he said.

    No fatalities were reported but President Vladimir Putin, who was due to host Finance Ministry officials from the Group of 20 nations in Moscow, and Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev were informed.

    A local ministry official said such incidents were extremely rare and Friday's events might have been linked to an asteroid the size of an Olympic swimming pool due to pass Earth at a distance of 27,520 km (17,100 miles) but this was not confirmed.

    Russia's space agency Roscosmos said the meteorite was travelling at a speed of 30 km (19 miles) per second and that such events were hard to predict. The Interior Ministry said the meteorite explosion had caused a sonic boom.

    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.

    WINDOWS BREAK, FRAMES BUCKLE
    Windows were shattered on Chelyabinsk's central Lenin Street and some of the frames of shop fronts buckled.

    A loud noise, resembling an explosion, rang out at around 9.20 a.m. (12:20 a.m. ET). The shockwave could be felt in apartment buildings in the industrial city's center.

    "I was standing at a bus stop, seeing off my girlfriend," said Andrei, a local resident who did not give his second name. "Then there was a flash and I saw a trail of smoke across the sky and felt a shockwave that smashed windows."

    A wall was damaged at the Chelyabinsk Zinc Plant but a spokeswoman said there was no environmental threat.

    Although such events are rare, a meteorite is thought to have devastated an area of more than 2,000 sq km (1,250 miles) in Siberia in 1908, smashing windows as far as 200 km (125 miles) from the point of impact.
    The Emergencies Ministry described Friday's events as a "meteor shower in the form of fireballs" and said background radiation levels were normal. It urged residents not to panic.

    Chelyabinsk city authorities urged people to stay indoors unless they needed to pick up their children from schools and kindergartens. They said what sounded like a blast had been heard at an altitude of 10,000 meters (32,800 feet).

    The U.S. space agency NASA has said an asteroid known as 2012 DA14, about 46 meters in diameter, would have an encounter with Earth closer than any asteroid since scientists began routinely monitoring them about 15 years ago.

    Television, weather and communications satellites fly about 500 miles higher. The moon is 14 times farther away.

    (Additional reporting by Natalia Shurmina in Yekaterinburg and Gabriela Baczynska in Moscow, Writing by Alexei Anishchuk and Timothy Heritage, Editing by Michael Holden)


  • #2
    It was a UFO!!!!

    Comment


    • #3
      That's amazing how bright it gets.

      Comment


      • #4
        Yeah, if I was driving along and what appeared to be a small airburst nuke going off in front of me I wouldn't just keep putting along in my Skoda and listening to my shitty techno...

        Stevo
        Originally posted by SSMAN
        ...Welcome to the land of "Fuck it". No body cares, and if they do, no body cares.

        Comment


        • #5
          Preppers RUN!
          ./ ____ _ _\.
          (]]]_ o _[[[)
          \o_FORD_o/
          |__|.....|__|

          God closes doors no man can open, God opens doors no man can close. Revelations 3:7-8

          Comment


          • #6
            Originally posted by stevo View Post
            Yeah, if I was driving along and what appeared to be a small airburst nuke going off in front of me I wouldn't just keep putting along in my Skoda and listening to my shitty techno...

            Stevo


            But what if it was a Dacia Sandero?

            Comment


            • #7
              I was blinded by the light!
              "If I asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses." - Henry Ford

              Comment


              • #8
                Originally posted by talisman View Post
                But what if it was a Dacia Sandero?
                Were the seats scotch-guarded? It would be relevant considering I would have shat my pantaloons.

                Stevo
                Originally posted by SSMAN
                ...Welcome to the land of "Fuck it". No body cares, and if they do, no body cares.

                Comment


                • #9
                  In Soviet Russia, meteorite explore YOU!

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    We need a few of these in Cali, DC, and NY

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Reagan is throwing rocks at the ruskies from heaven.
                      Fuck you. We're going to Costco.

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Originally posted by stevo View Post
                        Yeah, if I was driving along and what appeared to be a small airburst nuke going off in front of me I wouldn't just keep putting along in my Skoda and listening to my shitty techno...

                        Stevo
                        So, what you're saying is, you're not Russian?

                        Originally posted by kbscobravert View Post
                        Reagan is throwing rocks at the ruskies from heaven.
                        Lmao...
                        sigpic18 F150 Supercrew - daily
                        17 F150 Supercrew - totaled Dec 12, 2018
                        13 DIB Premium GT, M6, Track Pack, Glass Roof, Nav, Recaros - Sold
                        86 SVO - Sold
                        '03 F150 Supercrew - Sold
                        01 TJ - new toy - Sold
                        65 F100 (460 + C6) - Sold

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Is shitty music required?

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Originally posted by kbscobravert View Post
                            Reagan is throwing rocks at the ruskies from heaven.
                            Nice.
                            "It's another burrito, it's a cold Lone Star in my hand!"

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              It was the new pope. God sent him to us.

                              Comment

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