600 Villagers fall ill after fireball hits Peru

Seems it might have been a meteor after all....

18 September, 2007 [ 18:30 ]

Scientist Confirms Meteorite in Puno, Peru is a Chondrite

(LIP-ir) -- Peru's official government news agency reported this afternoon that scientists which went to the town of Carancas in the Region of Puno, Peru, have confirmed that the glowing object which fell from the sky on Saturday afternoon was indeed a meteorite.

Volcanologist for Peru's Geological, Mining and Metallurgical Institute (INGEMMET), Luisa Macedo, confirmed that a chondrite meteorite had caused the 17 meter (55 foot) wide and 5 meter (16 foot) deep crater when it landed on earth.

It was reported that with the help of the Desaguadero Municipality, the water would be drained out of the crater to establish the exact size of the hole that was made by the chondrite meteorite.

Macedo explained that the chondrite was not radioactive and did not have any toxic gases or substances which could be harmful to peoples health. On the other hand, Macedo stated that it had not yet been established if the water supply in the province of Chucuito had been contaminated or not.

Aside from the analysis Macedo is performing, the National University of Altiplano, Peru's Nuclear Energy Institute, the National Institute of Natural Resources, the Ministry of Health and a Bolivian university are all taking part in the analysis of the area

www.livinginperu.com/news-4732-environme...fter-meteorite-crash

How can they exclaim for certain that it was a meteorite crater without the evident piece of rock?

It was on the 6 o'clock RTE news!, maybe the locals should stop hanging around the crater it left behind.....

Meteor plus Coca Leaves.

Good combination.

Like LSD and the hallucionogenic scene in the film 2001 a Space Odyssey.

Peter.

Like LSD and the hallucionogenic scene in the film 2001 a Space Odyssey.

Wouldn't mind some of that myself... :lol:

Turns out the 'sickness' could have been caused more so by hysteria, and a fear of cosmic disaster, after the apparent meteorite crash:

Link to Yahoo article .