Meteor Explosion Hits Russia
A meteor exploded 10,000 metres above Russia this morning, breaking up and showering the Ural Mountains with fragments. Reports say around 400 people have been injured.
An influx of user-generated media has hit social media, showing a loud blast and the bright flaring of the meteor as it passes over, along with some of the damage caused.
An emergency official told Reuters that "It was definitely not a plane. We are gathering the bits of information and have no data on the casualties so far." The incident occurred about 1,500 kilometers (930 miles) east of Moscow, in Chelyabinsk.
"Preliminary indications are that it was a meteorite rain," said an emergency official speaking to RIA-Novosti. "We have information about a blast at 10,000-meter (32,800-foot) altitude. It is being verified."
Conflicting reports have occurred amidst the various press outlets. An emergency ministry spokeswoman told the Associated Press that this was a meteor shower, whereas another account reported by Interfax told of a single meteorite.
The same has happened with the amount of people injured also, as The Guardian have reported around 400 injured, whereas the BBC suddenly changed their reported statistics via the Breaking News Twitter account, jumping from 400 to 'over 250' injured. Both are saying the same in terms of cause, saying falling pieces of broken glass led to most of these injuries.
While this is maybe coincidental to the timeframe, it is common belief that this incident has no connection to 2012 DA14, the asteroid set to make a near miss of 17,200 miles with the Earth later today. This story is developing, and we'll keep you up-to-date with any information that arises.
The force from the explosion is pretty much summed up with the video below.
Alongside the scientists, 50% of the British public and the future health of young people across the nation, I have one simple request: delay Freedom Day, please.