Putin Searching for the METeorite Equal to 20 ATOM BOMBS

Over 1200 people and 2900 buildings were damaged

President Vladimir Putin has ordered a major clean-up a day after the big Russian city of Chelyabinsk and its region was hit by meteor showers.

20,000 people are sent to the area east of the Urals to run relief and clean up, the news agency AFP.

According to the news agency Itar-Tass has 2962 buildings, including 361 schools and kindergartens, received injuries in Chelyabinsk oblast.

No one was hit

Although the damage is extensive, the meteor rain did not cost any lives. Over 1200 people are reported injured. Most had minor injuries, but 50 people are 

hospitalized. Among them are 13 children.

Putin says he thanks God that no people were hit by parts of the meteorite.

The many injured were mostly hit by glass fragments that were blown out because of the pressure wave that arose when the meteorite entered the atmosphere, type NTB.

According to Russian experts the meteorite exploded 30-50 kilometers above the ground. 

It turned out to be a meteorite that landed 10 tons in a lake 1 km outside the city Tsjebarkul. town has 46,000 inhabitants.

The burning meteorite particles caused  great confusion and anxiety among residents in several major cities.

Police in the region are now looking for parts of the meteorite, while trying to protect damaged shops from looting.

Currently  is not found a single piece of meteorite, but Saturday were  diving teams sent to the lake outside Tsjebarkul to look for it.

- The damage is estimated to cost 75 million

The energy released is equivalent to a small nuclear bomb, according to BBC News.

The time was 9:20 when the meteorite hit the Earth, and the school day had begun. Many children were terrified when suddenly there came a violent crash and windows went into pieces.

- The damage is estimated to cost 75 million, said disaster Minister Vladimir Putjkov, which holds that the government has the situation under control.

Saturday   2,000 square feet shattered window glass replaced.

20 Hiroshima bombs

Astrophysicist Knut Jorgen Roed Odegaard writes in his astro blog that analyzes show that this is the most energy-rich meteor fall on Earth since the famous Tunguska event 30 June 1908.

Stress wave from the fireball propagated down to the ground where there was extensive damage to buildings and over 1,200 people .

- This is the biggest damage ever recorded in the world because of an astronomical event in modern times, writes astrophysicist.

They also write that the asteroid broke into several smaller pieces on its way through the atmosphere, and that  is detected at least two large holes in the ice on a lake nearby.

 the asteroid's mass is estimated to be 7,000 tonnes and the energy equivalent to 300 kilotons of TNT, or about 20 Hiroshima bombs.