Meteor that struck in central Russia 'weighed same as double-decker bus'

on 15/02/2013 12:42:13

A meteor that injured around 500 people when it came down in central Russia was roughly the same weight as a double decker bus.

Experts say the meteor was travelling at 33,000 miles per hour as it streaked across the sky.

It created a sonic boom that smashed windows and was the main cause of injury. The Emergency Ministry said more than 500 people sought treatment and 34 of them were taken to hospital.

Professor of Planetary Science at Birkbeck University of London Ian Crawford said there was probably one main rock that broke up.

"Pressure builds as the meteorite gets closer to the ground. The point is reached where it undergoes so much stress in the atmosphere that it can't cope anymore and breaks up into pieces," he said.