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Meteorite explosion shakes Russian region of Chelyabinsk Meteorite explosion over Russia injures dozens
(35 minutes later)
A meteorite has flared spectacularly in the sky and exploded over the Russian region of Chelyabinsk. Officials said reports of injuries and damage to buildings were being checked. A meteorite has flared spectacularly in the sky and exploded over the
/>Russian region of Chelyabinsk, reportedly injuring around 100 people.
Fragments of at least one meteorite fell, causing flashes in the morning sky and sharp explosions, Russian officials said. Fragments of the meteor fell in a thinly populated area of the
/>Chelyabinsk region, the Emergency Ministry said in a statement.
The ministry said some fragments fell near the town of Satka, about 120 miles (200km) from the regional capital city of Chelyabinsk. 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.
The office of the governor of the region, which is in the Ural Mountains about 830 miles (1,500km) east of Moscow, said in a statement that many calls about injuries and damage to buildings had been received. But there were no immediate confirmed figures or specific reports on damage. Kolsenikov also said about 600 square meters (6,000 square feet) of a
/>roof at a zinc factory had collapsed.
A spokeswoman for Russia's 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. 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.