Moscow, Russia -- A Russian health official says nearly 1,000
people have sought help for injuries caused by a meteor that
exploded in the sky, blasting out countless windows. Chelyabinsk
health chief Marina Moskvicheva, said Friday that 985 people in
her city had asked for medical assistance. The Interfax news
agency quoted her as saying 43 were hospitalized. The Russian
Academy of Sciences said the meteor -- estimated to be about 10
tons -- entered the Earth's atmosphere going at least 54,000 kph
(33,000 mph). It shattered about 30-50 kilometers (18-32 miles)
above the ground, releasing several kilotons of energy above the
Ural Mountains. Amateur video broadcast on Russian television
showed an object speeding across the sky just after sunrise,
leaving a thick white contrail and an intense flash. Meteors are
pieces of space rock, usually from larger comets or asteroids,
which enter the Earth's atmosphere. Many are burned up by the
heat of the atmosphere, but those that survive and strike the
Earth are called