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question everything

(47,486 posts) Sun Feb 7, 2016, 06:10 PM Feb 2016

Indian man could be first recorded human fatality due to a meteorite

Source: ArsTechnica

Indian officials say a meteorite struck the campus of a private engineering college on Saturday, killing one person. If scientists confirm the explosion was due to a meteorite, it would be the first recorded human fatality due to a falling space rock.

According to local reports, a bus driver was killed on Saturday when a meteorite landed in the area where he was walking, damaging the window panes of nearby buses and buildings. Three other people were injured.

(snip)

There have been no confirmed human deaths due to meteorite strikes, although there have been a number of interesting close calls, based upon a list kept by International Comet Quarterly. For example, meteorites have landed in homes and hit people as they have slept, but have not killed them.

In our most recent close call, a bright fireball created a huge airblast over Chelyabinsk, Russia, in 2013. The resulting shock damaged thousands of buildings and injured more than 1,000 people. But there were no fatalities.

Read more: http://arstechnica.com/science/2016/02/indian-man-could-be-first-recorded-human-fatality-due-to-a-meteorite/

13 replies

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Indian man could be first recorded human fatality due to a meteorite (Original Post) question everything Feb 2016 OP

Thank you for posting this navarth Feb 2016 #1

The Tunguska event (Siberia, 1908) certainly had the potential for casualties Cirque du So-What Feb 2016 #2

Wasn't that the huge event that I've seen pics of the aftermath elias49 Feb 2016 #3

Yes Cirque du So-What Feb 2016 #5

It's just like Northern Exposure, 1990 houston16revival Feb 2016 #4

He should have bought a lottery ticket that day. Gman Feb 2016 #6

Fox News reports that liberalism is to blame for this tragedy n/t Kennah Feb 2016 #7

The True Story of Ann Hodges: History’s Only Meteorite Victim Heeeeers Johnny Feb 2016 #8

The house of a french family was hit - their name was "Comette" TomVilmer Feb 2016 #9

Good thing their name wasn't Le Crater pinboy3niner Feb 2016 #10

One more reason not to go to work today Botany Feb 2016 #11

No, it's Happened Before Dem on Feb 2016 #12

Meteorite Hit Unlikely, Say Scientists After First Vellore Tests: 10 Developments muriel_volestrangler Feb 2016 #13

navarth

(5,927 posts)

1. Thank you for posting this

Reply to question everything (Original post)

Sun Feb 7, 2016, 06:14 PM

Feb 2016

..most amazing story ever.

Cirque du So-What

(25,941 posts)

2. The Tunguska event (Siberia, 1908) certainly had the potential for casualties

Reply to question everything (Original post)

Sun Feb 7, 2016, 06:16 PM

Feb 2016

and although none were recorded, the remoteness and lack of communication may have contributed to overlooking some unfortunate individuals.

elias49

(4,259 posts)

3. Wasn't that the huge event that I've seen pics of the aftermath

Reply to Cirque du So-What (Reply #2)

Sun Feb 7, 2016, 06:19 PM

Feb 2016

where hundreds of trees were laid down flat like so many toothpicks. I remember reading about that somewhere, some time.

Cirque du So-What

(25,941 posts)

5. Yes

Reply to elias49 (Reply #3)

Sun Feb 7, 2016, 06:23 PM

Feb 2016

Megatons (estimates vary)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tunguska_event

houston16revival

(953 posts)

4. It's just like Northern Exposure, 1990

Reply to question everything (Original post)

Sun Feb 7, 2016, 06:22 PM

Feb 2016

when Rick gets hit by the satellite

It was great for laughs

This is real

Gman

(24,780 posts)

6. He should have bought a lottery ticket that day.

Reply to question everything (Original post)

Sun Feb 7, 2016, 06:45 PM

Feb 2016

Kennah

(14,273 posts)

7. Fox News reports that liberalism is to blame for this tragedy n/t

Reply to question everything (Original post)

Sun Feb 7, 2016, 06:56 PM

Feb 2016

Heeeeers Johnny

(423 posts)

8. The True Story of Ann Hodges: History’s Only Meteorite Victim

Reply to question everything (Original post)

Sun Feb 7, 2016, 07:00 PM

Feb 2016

Getting hit by a falling meteor is far more uncommon than getting struck by lighting. How uncommon you might ask?

There is only one confirmed person in history to have ever been hit by one. And she had the evidence to prove it.

Back in November 1954, Ann Hodges was taking a nap in her Sylacauga, Alabama, home when a rock about 12 inches in circumference came crashing through the ceiling. The meteorite then collided with her thigh, leaving behind a large, conspicuous bruise. Thankfully, it didn’t smash into her head, or the scene would have been much more gruesome.

http://firsttoknow.com/true-story-ann-hodges-historys-meteorite-victim/

TomVilmer

(1,832 posts)

9. The house of a french family was hit - their name was "Comette"

Reply to question everything (Original post)

Sun Feb 7, 2016, 07:18 PM

Feb 2016

In 2011 an egg-sized meteorite smashed through the roof of the Comette family home on the outskirts of Paris!

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/oct/10/comette-family-home-damaged-meteorite

pinboy3niner

(53,339 posts)

10. Good thing their name wasn't Le Crater

Reply to TomVilmer (Reply #9)

Sun Feb 7, 2016, 07:21 PM

Feb 2016

Botany

(70,516 posts)

11. One more reason not to go to work today

Reply to question everything (Original post)

Mon Feb 8, 2016, 12:08 PM

Feb 2016

Dem on

(21 posts)

12. No, it's Happened Before

Reply to question everything (Original post)

Mon Feb 8, 2016, 03:29 PM

Feb 2016

The last recorded human fatality caused by a meteorite was in 1825, according to a list kept by International Comet Quarterly. That, too, was in India.

In 1954, a woman in Alabama was injured when a meteorite crashed through the roof of her house.

Other Indian officials are being more circumspect about the incident in Tamil Nadu.

"When no evidence of explosive material was found, we moved to the theory that it might be a meteorite," a local district official told Reuters. "It is not confirmed yet, as samples need to be analyzed."

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2016/02/08/a-meteorite-may-have-killed-someone-for-the-first-time-since-1825/?hpid=hp_hp-more-top-stories_meteorite-1115pm%3Ahomepage%2Fstory

muriel_volestrangler

(101,321 posts)

13. Meteorite Hit Unlikely, Say Scientists After First Vellore Tests: 10 Developments

Reply to question everything (Original post)

Wed Feb 10, 2016, 04:49 PM

Feb 2016

The scientists said the pieces of rock handed to them by the Tamil Nadu police were light in weight unlike meteorites, which are (usually) very heavy.

"Preliminary investigation suggests the samples may not be part of a meteorite," Dr. P Sreekumar, director of the Indian Institute of Astrophysics, Bengaluru, told NDTV.

He suggested that one of the pieces they analysed could be part of "slag," which is stony waste matter separated from metals during the smelting or refining of ore.

NASA too has said it is unlikely to be a meteorite hit. The New York Times quoted the US space agency as saying that online photographs of the site of the suspected meteorite hit are more consistent with "a land based explosion" than with something from space.

http://www.ndtv.com/cheat-sheet/meteorite-hit-unlikely-say-scientists-after-first-vellore-tests-10-facts-1275856

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