RUSSIA: Days after a meteorite strike, workers and volunteers in Chelyabinsk replace hundreds of windows in a hospital and university and repair a damaged zinc factory.

Record ID: 217210

  • Title: RUSSIA: Days after a meteorite strike, workers and volunteers in Chelyabinsk replace hundreds of windows in a hospital and university and repair a damaged zinc factory.
  • Date: 17th February 2013
  • Summary: CHELYABINSK, RUSSIA (FEBRUARY 17, 2013) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF DAMAGED ZINC FACTORY RUBBLE ON GROUND PIECES OF FACTORY WALL VARIOUS OF BEAMS BEING LIFTED BY CRANE WORKERS ON CRANE CONSTRUCTION VEHICLE NEAR RUBBLE VARIOUS OF DAMAGED BUILDING WITH SCAFFOLDING IN FRONT OF IT SOUTH URALS STATE UNIVERSITY IN DISTANCE WITH BROKEN GLASS AND SNOW IN FOREGROUND UNIVERSITY ENTRAN
  • Embargoed: 4th March 2013 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Russian Federation
  • Country: Russia
  • Topics: Disasters,Space
  • Reuters ID: LVA2HDEVVYKQX4BWEVRF7D6KMI7T
  • Story Text: Workers and volunteers in Chelyabinsk in central Russia spent Sunday (February 17) cleaning and repairing buildings, including a hospital, university and factory, following a meteorite explosion over the Ural mountains last week that injured some 1,200 people.
    The explosion sent fireballs over a vast area in central Russia as well as causing a shock wave that smashed windows, damaged buildings and other infrastructure in the industrial city 950 miles from Moscow.
    Workers repaired the roof and walls of a zinc factory in the town that was heavily damaged by the meteor blast.
    At Urals State University, student volunteers put up boards over some of the 1,500 windows from the Stalin-era building that were blown out in the blast in the hope of being able to return to class the next day.
    "In all of the classrooms, we installed polycarbonite, instead of fibre board, so that nothing will blow anywhere in the classrooms, and it's warm. Tomorrow, classes will continue, and everything will work normally," said student volunteer Artyem Kuznetsov.
    At the Chelyabinsk City Hospital No. 9, head doctor Oleg Denisov oversaw workers installing windows. He said the hospital campus, which includes several buildings, lost more than 100 windows, and it was vital to repair them to continue helping patients.
    "We have things like the maternity ward, things like the children's medical campus that is right across from us, and repair work is being carried out first in these buildings. So we need to not today, but right now, to close the windows in the intensive care unit, where the critically ill patients are, and in the maternity hospital where there are small, small, new-born babies. Keeping the temperature at a standard level is extremely important," Denisov said.
    The fireball travelling at a speed of 30 km (19 miles) per second, according to Russian space agency Roscosmos, blazed across the horizon, leaving a long white trail visible as far as 200 km (125 miles) away.
    The Russia Emergencies Ministry said workers had repaired windows in 1,712 buildings -- residential, medical, education and social facilities, and 40 people were still being hospitalised on Sunday as the clean-up continued.
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