Dozens seek medical assistance in meteorite-hit Russian Urals

Some 50 people have sought medical assistance after a meteorite burst into the sky over Russia's Urals region, the Interior Ministry said on Friday.

"According to preliminary data as of 10:00 Moscow time (0600 GMT), about 50 people in the Chelyabinsk Region have sought medical attention," said the ministry's press center.

Most of them suffered cuts by glass shards from windows shattered by the blast wave of the falling meteorite, according to the ministry.

Local media reported earlier that four children sustained such injuries.

The roof of a zinc plant in the Chelyabinsk region partially collapsed due to the wave, the Interfax news agency reported, giving no information on possible casualties.

The Russian Defense Ministry said in a press release that the accident caused no damage to the military units deployed in the Central Military District. "None of the personnel was injured," it said.

Soldiers are heading to areas in the Sverdlovsk, Chelyabinsk and Tyumen regions where meteorite pieces fell, said the press release.

The Russian Emergency Situations Ministry said radiation levels remain normal in the area, while emergency services have been put on high alert. Xinhua