Russia: Meteor Shower in the sky of Chelyabinsk

Video footage shows a series of explosions, reportedly caused by a meteor shower, took place in the sky over Chelyabinsk in Russia’s Urals region. It is reported that approximately 400 people have been injured.

Russia Today (RT) says "houses shuddered, windows were blown out and cellphones stopped working."

Two videos shared online reportedly show the explosions. Both videos show a trail of smoke followed by an explosion. The sound of the explosion is inaudible in the first video.

According to reports, the meteorite was shot down by Russian air defense unit. RT reports:

"The meteorite was intercepted by an air defense unit at the Urzhumka settlement near Chelyabinsk. A missile salvo reportedly blew the meteorite to pieces at an altitude of 20 kilometers."

The information is unconfirmed.

The trail of smoke could be seen in Yekaterinburg, located 200 kilometers away, witnesses told Reuters.

The Russsian Emergencies Ministry said up to 400 people suffered minor injuries as a result of the incident. Most of the injuries were caused by shattered windows. (NewsPoint)