Witnesses saw the meterorite streaking across the sky, near Russia's Ural Mountains.
There was a bright white flash in the sky followed by a loud bang. The shockwave shattered windows and set off car alarms.

A Russian health official says nearly 1,000 people have been reported injured after the blast. State media reports also say that 20,000 emergency response workers have now been mobilized.

The Russian Academy of Sciences says the meteorite entered the Earth's atmosphere going at least 33,000 miles per hour. They say it shattered around 18 to 32 miles above the ground, releasing several kilotons of energy above the Ural Mountains.