Canada officials probe 'meteorite strike'

A blast and a bright flash seen near Ottawa and Montreal on Tuesday may have been caused by a meteorite strike, Canadian officials say.

An investigation is being conducted to determine whether a meteorite caused the explosion in central Canada that was heard earlier this week by residents of numerous communities near Ottawa and Montreal, officials say.

The blast was followed by a bright flash in the sky around 8pm local time on Tuesday that was seen by people in both Canada and the northern United States.

Comments about the incident were posted on Twitter by people on both sides of the border.

Astronomers are trying to find evidence that the explosion was produced by a meteorite entering the atmosphere, Canadian media reported.

Police in Quebec received numerous calls about the blast, but no damage was reported, officials said.

A NASA study released in early November concluded that the danger of meteorites hitting earth is five times greater than previously estimated.

The study was prepared in response to the meteorite explosion on February 15 over a sparsely populated region of Russia's Ural Mountains that injured about 1600 people.


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Source: AAP


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