Missing the point?
Thursday, 20 September 2007 22:38 pm
A meteorite hit a Peruvian village 2 days ago.
The news I’ve seen mostly speaks about the mysterious illness that’s hitting the villagers near by. Obviously that’s a concern and I hope those people will be able to weather this!
But the key point I figure is that meteorites hit the earth - more or less randomly - and that this particular one created a 30 meter wide and six meter deep hole in the ground!
The odds are very low, but it might just as well hit a densely populated area and plunge into an appartment building?
Fortunately most of the surface is covered by the Oceans, but even then - you’d be miserable if you’re just out there on that spot the next one hits!
[ from AFP ]
Mystery illness strikes after meteorite hits Peruvian village
2 days agoLIMA (AFP) — Villagers in southern Peru were struck by a mysterious illness after a meteorite made a fiery crash to Earth in their area, regional authorities said Monday.
Around midday Saturday, villagers were startled by an explosion and a fireball that many were convinced was an airplane crashing near their remote village, located in the high Andes department of Puno in the Desaguadero region, near the border with Bolivia.
Residents complained of headaches and vomiting brought on by a “strange odor,” local health department official Jorge Lopez told Peruvian radio RPP.
Seven policemen who went to check on the reports also became ill and had to be given oxygen before being hospitalized, Lopez said.
Rescue teams and experts were dispatched to the scene, where the meteorite left a 100-foot-wide (30-meter-wide) and 20-foot-deep (six-meter-deep) crater, said local official Marco Limache.
“Boiling water started coming out of the crater and particles of rock and cinders were found nearby. Residents are very concerned,” he said.