According to the townspeople, the illnesses began after the meteorite crashed and they began to touch the glowing rock believing it had some type of monetary value.
Aside from the hundreds of townspeople that were affected, Tejada reported that 8 police officers had to be hospitalized after having taken samples of the meteorite.
Blood samples are being taken and there are several teams of specialists in the area.
Scientists confirmed yesterday that the meteorite that caused a 17 meter (55 foot) wide and 5 meter (16 foot) deep crater in Puno, Peru was a chondrite meteorite. The water in the crater is to be drained and several teams of scientists from different countries will take samples from the crater itself and from surrounding areas. - living in peru
However, SPACEWEATHER has some questions:
There is much discussion on the Internet today concerning a reported meteorite impact in Peru which may have gouged a 10- to 30-meter wide crater near Peru's border with Bolivia. Bad-smelling fumes from the crater are said to have sickened dozens and perhaps hundreds of people in a nearby village. Could this be true?
There is indeed a hole in the ground in Peru, pictured above, and by all accounts it smells bad, but it is not likely of cosmic origin. In order to blast a 30-meter crater, a meteorite would have to hit the ground with about as much energy as 0.1-to-1 kiloton of TNT--akin to a tactical nuclear weapon. This should leave a clear signal in worldwide seismic and infrasound records, but so far no such signals are being reported by authorities. In short, we remain unconvinced. Stay tuned for updates.
UPDATE: A scientist from Peru's Geological, Mining and Metallurgical Institute says that a chondritic meteorite is at the bottom of the crater: news report. There is also mounting evidence that the crater is associated at least coincidentally with a grave health problem in the area.
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