Meteor shower causes damage, injuries in Russian Urals

A meteor shower caused explosions in the lower atmosphere above Russia's Urals region on Friday, blowing out windows in some areas and leaving several people injured, officials and agencies reported.

"A meteorite exploded above the Chelyabinsk region (of the Urals). The shock wave blew out windows in several places," but no meteor fragments hit the ground, an emergencies ministry spokesman told the Interfax news agency.

"According to the preliminary information, four people were injured by flying glass," the ministry added.

An agency report spoke of several injuries.

Witnesses cited by news agencies spoke of hearing loud explosions which led to panic among residents