Meteorite strikes near Nicaragua’s capital leaving 39-foot crater

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2014/09/07/meteor-strikes-near-nicaraguas-capital-leaving-39-foot-crater/

Meteorite strikes near Nicaragua’s capital leaving 39-foot crater
By Agence France-Presse
Sunday, September 7, 2014 19:27 EDT

A mysterious explosion that rocked Nicaragua’s crowded capital Managua, creating a large crater, appears to have been caused by a meteorite, officials said Sunday.

Amazingly, in a sprawling city of 1.2 million people, the impact near the international airport did not cause any known injuries, but it did leave a crater measuring 12 meters (39 feet) across.

“We are convinced that this was a meteorite. We have seen the crater from the impact,” said Wilfredo Strauss of the Seismic Institute.

The meteorite appeared to have hurtled into a wooded area near the airport around midnight Saturday, its thunderous impact felt across the capital.

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apparent area of impact, reported in El 19 Digital

(posted Sept 7, 2:46 pm) —The mysterious explosion that occurred last night around 11 p.m. could have been caused by a small meteorite, according to preliminary findings reported this afternoon by government media. The meteorite is thought to have broken off from the asteroid 2014 RC, which passed the planet last night.

A team of Nicaraguan scientists are working with the government to determine if any remains of the meteorite can be found near the apparent area of impact, located on KM 9.5 of the Carretera Norte, in a field about 300 meters from the Camino Real Hotel.