Meteorite hits Peruvian village

[timthelder]

Mystery illness strikes after meteorite hits Peruvian village Mon Sep 17, 11:23 PM ET

LIMA (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.

Thought this was an interesting article,I've been noticing quite a few 'shooting stars' the past two nights I've been out viewing,but in different areas of the sky.

[Radar]

This is the stuff that movies are made from. Very interesting, I'll have to read up more about this.

Ray

[timthelder]

A couple of pic's of the supposed impact crater.

http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p283/tmthylockhart/20070919_Peruvian_meteor_wideweb__4.jpg

This is from the Sydney Morning Herald

http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p283/tmthylockhart/embeddedimage_188035_1.jpg

This is from the Irish Times.

Some how I thought it would be bigger...

[beren]

:hmm: Interesting......reminds of Micheal Crichton's "The Andromeda strain" novel/film

[Radar]

This was on the 6 o'clock news. It's going to get heaps of attention. I imagine scientists from all over are heading to this area.

Ray

[Tenacious Del]

thats amazing. I wonder what the odour was. is there anymore info on this yet?

[Astro Dave]

It seems this may not be a meteorite... probably a meteorong

Apparently there was a sighting of 'something' streaking through the sky that hit the ground. It would appear that whatever it was has hit an area of stagnant water or swampland and opened up the stench.

All these people forraging in the hole for the 'meteor' have been getting sick ... an it's no wonder.

Word is today that it may have cracked open a sewage line!!!!!

[CanisMajorTom]

This is very funny mate. Puruvians have been crawling around in a big puddle of poop. :welldone:

[timthelder]

Before I believe the story about the 'poo'/swamp/pool of stagnant water thing.A couple of things that puzzle me by looking at the pictures...

1.)Peru is considered a third world country.(most third world countries don't have sewers/sewage lines,most are open sewers.)

2.)Since when does a 'remote village' even have sewers?(look at the pic,all the spectators are standing around in the middle of nowhere.)

3.)Aren't sewage lines located in heavily populated areas?I'm rural/suburban and don't we don't have sewage lines we have septic tanks...

4.)If it's swamp,it sure looks like everyone is standing on dirt.Also looks like little tuft's of prairie grass in the foreground?It may have rained in the pit,but I don't think 'sewer OR swamp'.

I'm not a conspiricist,but it sounds like a 'wash job' to me.To disinterest people in the crashsite.

Maybe someone was playing with some short range projectiles and got their fuel mix wrong???You know kids and their firecracker's.:eartoear:

It'll be interesting to see how this story developes.

[Radar]

Interesting points you raise Tim. All very valid. Maybe they are trying to get people disinterested.

Kids and their firecrackers, probably.

:hmm:

[wakaleo]

Kids and their firecrackers, probably.

:hmm:

Space junk returning home?

[Radar]

Maybe this thing in Peru is something from space, but then again, maybe it's not.

I have a theory about why this meteor could have smelt bad.

One question though - how can we prevent these situations from happening again?

http://myastrospace.com/images/huggies.jpg

:Chessy_Smile: :Chessy_Smile: :Chessy_Smile:

[timthelder]

http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p283/tmthylockhart/marvint.gif

I'm not for certain but I think Marvin took a poke at us with his...
Illudium PU-36 Explosive Space Modulator and the ACME Disintegration Pistol

:eartoear: :eartoear: :eartoear:

[Radar]

lol, bloody Marvin!

[RSW]

if it was a sewer pipe it could have been a methane explosion. but like Tim said, why would there be sewer pipes out there in the middle of nowhere. :hmm:

[Radar]

Here is the latest on this subject

http://space.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn12704&feedId=space_rss20

[timthelder]

And there you have it.
No film at 11.
Good sleuthwork Ray,very interesting indeed.

[CanisMajorTom]

Interesting. so there is a dry stream nearby. The under soil is still saturated though. :pipethinker: