Publicat la 15.02.2013 <br />February 15, 2013. A meteor crashing in Russia's Ural mountains has injured at least 1200 people, as the shockwave blew out windows and rocked buildings. <br />Most of those hurt, in the Chelyabinsk region where the meteor fell, suffered cuts and bruises but at least 46 remain in hospital. <br />A fireball streaked through the clear morning sky, followed by loud bangs. <br />President Vladimir Putin said he thanked God no big fragments had fallen in populated areas. <br />A large meteor fragment landed in a lake near Chebarkul, a town in Chelyabinsk region. <br />The meteor's dramatic passing was witnessed in Yekaterinburg, 200km (125 miles) to the north, and in Kazakhstan, to the south. <br />Officials say a large meteor partially burned up in the lower atmosphere, resulting in fragments falling earthwards. <br />Thousands of rescue workers have been dispatched to the area to provide help to the injured, the emergencies ministry said. <br />The Chelyabinsk region, about 1,500km (930 miles) east of Moscow, is home to many factories, a nuclear power plant and the Mayak atomic waste storage and treatment centre.
