RUSSIA: Russia's Putin orders meteor investigation, CCTV footage shows blast

Record ID: 217209

  • Title: RUSSIA: Russia's Putin orders meteor investigation, CCTV footage shows blast
  • Date: 15th February 2013
  • Summary: CHELYABINSK, RUSSIA (FEBRUARY 15, 2013) (ORIGINALLY 4:3) (REUTERS) (AUDIO AS INCOMING/MUTE) CCTV VIDEO SHOWING FLASH FROM METEORITE COMING THROUGH WINDOWS OF GYM OF CENTRE FOR OLYMPIC JUDO TRAINING IN CHELYABINSK, WHILE CHILDREN HAVING THEIR JUDO TRAINING SESSION SECURITY MAN LOOKING AT CCTV FOOTAGE AT HIS COMPUTER CCTV VIDEO SHOWING WINDOWS SHATTERING INTO GYM MAN REPAIRI
  • Embargoed: 2nd March 2013 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Russian Federation
  • Country: Russia
  • Topics: Disasters,Politics,Science,Space
  • Reuters ID: LVA8OKJNJ0EBOKOZRCKJDFKN65JQ
  • Story Text: A CCTV video recording shows windows blowing out in a school as children do judo practice when a Earth-bound meteor blasts past, while Russian President Vladimir Putin calls for quick action to investigate incident, which has injured an estimated 1,000 people.


    Some 1,000 people were injured when a meteor shot across the sky and exploded over central Russia on Friday (February 15), sending fireballs crashing to Earth, shattering windows and damaging buildings, RIA Novosti said, quoting the Russian Interior Ministry.
    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.
    No fatalities were reported, but President Vladimir Putin told Emergencies Minister Vladimir Puchkov to evaluate the damage caused by the accident.
    "We need to conduct an analysis of the situation, evaluate the possible damage not only to the communications infrastructure and social facilities but also to the energy sector. This is very important in the winter time. So please do that as soon as possible," Putin said.
    A CCTV footage from Centre for Olympic Judo Training in Chelyabinsk shows how soon after a very bright flash, windows blow out in the gym, setting panic among children who were in the middles of their morning training.
    School's deputy director Vyacheslav Tutik said when the accident happened he thought that it was gym's ceiling that collapsed.
    "At 08:30 the children's training has started. Around nine o'clock we heard some kind of popping, explosion. I was in the office at that moment, I honestly thought that the ceiling collapsed. I ran straight to the gym, children and trainers were there. The ceiling was ok, but all the windows were broken. Almost all the windows were damaged, there're no windows without damages," he said.
    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, 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.
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