20 Sept 2007

Peru meteorite crash 'causes mystery illness'

 The meteorite impact crater high in the Peruvian Andes
The meteorite impact crater.

A meteorite has struck a remote part of Peru and carved a large crater that is emitting noxious odours and making villagers ill, according to local press reports. A fireball streaked across the Andean sky late on Saturday night and crashed into a field near Carancas, a sparsely populated highland wilderness near Lake Titicaca on the border with Bolivia, witnesses said.
The orange streak and loud bang were initially thought to be a plane crashing. When farmers went to investigate, however, they found a crater at least 10m wide and 5m deep, but no sign of wreckage.

Peru meteorite crash 'causes mystery illness' | Special reports | Guardian Unlimited