A mysterious explosion that rocked Nicaragua's crowded capital Managua, creating a large crater, appears to have been caused by a meteorite, officials said on 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."We are convinced that this was a meteorite. We have seen the crater from the impact," said Wilfredo Strauss of the Seismic Institute.
The meteorite appeared to have hurtled into a wooded area near the airport around midnight on 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.
"You can see two waves: first, a small seismic wave when the meteorite hit earth, and then another stronger one, which is the impact of the sound," he said.
By Ruchi Singh
reporter
Park Sae-jin
swatchsjp@ajunews.com
