English: A fireball Geminids falling earthwards in October 2011 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Update: Recent report suggest as many as 500 could have been injured
Whether it was a single meteorite or a meteor shower is still not clear – but what is known is that over 100 people were treated for injuries resulting from the incident in Russia’s Ural Mountain region on Friday morning.
Something fell from the skies in Russia today. Emergency Ministry spokesperson Irina Rossius told AP that there had been a meteor shower, whereas Elena Smirnikh from the same Ministry told Interfax that a single meteorite had been responsible for the incident. Russian television has broadcast amateur footage showing a single object racing across the sky at around 9:20 am local time (03:20 am GMT), trailing by a thick white tail and followed by an intense flash of light. It is possible that a single meteor exploded in the sky, scattering fragments and leading to the appearance of it being a meteor shower.
Update: A single meteorite did indeed break apart, showering the area with debris.
According to Kolesnikov 102 people called for medical assistance, mainly for injuries caused by broken glass as a result of explosions. He also said that around 600 square meters of roof has collapsed at a zinc factory in the area.
Related Video: WSJ News – Meteorite Falls in Russian Urals
