(AFP) 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.
The meteorite appeared to have hurtled into a wooded area near the airport around midnight Saturday, its thunderous impact felt across the capital.
The hit was so large that it registered on the instruments Strauss’s organization uses to size up earthquakes.
Government officials and experts visited the impact site on Sunday.
One of them, William Martinez, said it was not yet clear if the meteorite burned up completely or if it had been blasted into the soil.
Government spokeswoman, First Lady Rosario Murillo, said Managua would be in contact with the US Geological Service to try to get more information about “this fascinating event” in the Central American nation, one of Latin America’s poorest countries.
People who live near the crater told local media they heard a blast they took for an explosion, and that liquid, sand and dust were blown through the air, which smelled like something had burned.
There were no reported injuries because the impact was in a wooded spot, and flights at the airport were not affected.
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