A meteor crashing in Russia's Ural mountains has injured at least 950 people.Most of those hurt, in the Chelyabinsk region where meteorites fell, suffered cuts and bruises but at least 46 remain in hospital.The 10-tonne fireball entered the Earth’s atmosphere faster than the speed of sound – causing a devastating sonic boom which ripped through buildings and exploded windows, injuring people.
The Chelyabinsk region, about 1,500km (930 miles) east of Moscow, is home to many factories, a nuclear power plant and the Mayak atomic waste storage and treatment centre.
A large meteorite landed in a lake near Chebarkul, a town in Chelyabinsk region.
The meteor's dramatic passing was witnessed in Yekaterinburg, 200km (125 miles) to the north, and in Kazakhstan, to the south
According to Russia's Academy of Sciences, the meteor broke apart 30-50km (20-30 miles) above the Earth's surface, releasing several kilotonnes of energy - the same as a small atomic weapon
Asteroids, meteors and meteorites
- Asteroids are small bodies that orbit the Sun as the Earth does
- Larger asteroids are called planetoids or minor planets, smaller ones often called meteoroids
- Once any of these enters our planet's atmosphere, it becomes a meteor
- Many meteors break into pieces or burn up entirely as they speed through the atmosphere
- Once meteors or fragments actually hit the earth's surface, they become meteorites
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