Russian Meteorite [VIDEOS & PHOTO]: 11-Ton Meteor Flashes Over Russia, Explosions Injure Up To 950 People

An 11-ton meteor flew across the Russian sky over the Ural Mountains, followed by a bright flash and then a loud "thundering sound," leading to more than 950 people needing medical attention. The Russian Academy of Sciences released a statement saying that the meteor entered the Earth's atmosphere at a speed of at least 33,000 mph and broke apart about 18-32 miles above ground. Meteorite fragments fell from the sky over the Chelyabinsk region of Russia, causing plenty of damage. Many of the incidents of injury were from fragments of glass resulting from the explosions and at least 110 people have been hospitalized. 159 victims are children.

Interior Ministry spokesman Vadim Kolesnikov, who reported the injuries, also said that a zinc factory roof measuring about 6000 square feet collapse as a result of meteor fragments. A 20-foot-wide crater was also discovered in areas where fragments were hitting the ground. One resident of Chelyabinsk, which is about 930 miles east of Moscow, Sergey Hametov, had this to say of the shooting star:

"There was panic. People had no idea what was happening. Everyone was going around to people's houses to check if they were OK. We saw a big burst of light then went outside to see what it was and we heard a really loud thundering sound."

There have been conflicting reports on whether this was a single meteor or a meteor shower. Amateur video broadcasts on Russian television allowed many angles of the thick, white contrail to be seen as well as some audio of this morning's explosions.

Donald Yeomans, manager of U.S. Near Earth Object Program in California, shared his opinions on this meteor, saying this was most likely "an exploding fireball event." Yeomans elaborated with the following statement:

"If the reports of ground damage can be verified, it might suggest an object whose original size was several meters in extent before entering the atmosphere, fragmenting and exploding due to the unequal pressure on the leading side vs. the trailing side (it pancaked and exploded). It is far too early to provide estimates of the energy released or provide a reliable estimate of the original size."

News reports in Russia have also linked this meteor story with the asteroid 2012 DA14, which is set to make the closest recorded pass of Earth (17,150 miles) just a day after this Russian meteorite episode. There was no direct confirmable relation between the meteor and the asteroid.