2月6日、インドで男性が謎の死を遂げた。死因として隕石の可能性が考えられている。
亡くなったのは、インド南部のタミル・ナードゥ州にあるバラティダサン工科大学でバスの運転手をしているカマラジさんだ。謎の物体が爆発し、命を落とした。
隕石とみられる物体によりできたクレーターを警察が調査中だ。
これは隕石による初の死亡事故だと報じるメディアもあるが、科学誌「国際彗星季刊誌」によれば、1825年にもインドの別の地域で隕石による死者が確認されている。つまり物体が本当に隕石だとすれば、カマラジさんは2世紀ぶりの隕石の犠牲者となる。
バラティダサン工科大学で見つかった隕石片。爆発により一人が死亡した。
爆発によってバスや建物の窓ガラスが粉々になり、巨大なクレーターができた。亡くなったカマラジさんの他に、3人が負傷した。
ヴェールールのナートラームパリで隕石衝突が起こって窓ガラスが粉々になった。ロシアの隕石衝突のようだ。
タミル・ナードゥ州の首相は「ヴェールール地区の私立工科大学のキャンパスに隕石が落ち、残念な事故が起こった」という声明を発表した。
物体が本当に隕石かどうかは、まだわかっていない。警察が爆発現場で回収した破片を、インド天体物理学研究所が分析している。
亡くなったカマラジさんの家族には10万ルピー（約17万円）、3人の負傷者にはそれぞ2万5000ルピー（約4万2000円）がタミル・ナードゥ州の公共救済基金から支払われる。
ハフポストUS版に掲載された記事を翻訳しました。
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Perseids(01 of23)
(credit:Rex)
(02 of23)
A meteor shines, top left, while entering the earth\'s atmosphere during the Perseid Meteor Shower observed early Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2013, in this long exposure picture taken from village of Kozle, just southeast of Skopje, Macedonia. (AP Photo/Boris Grdanoski) (credit:AP)
Meteor Shower Over The United Kingdom(03 of23)
HOLMES CHAPEL, UNITED KINGDOM - AUGUST 13: A Perseid meteor (R) streaks across the sky past the light trail of an aircraft over the Lovell Radio Telescope at Jodrell Bank on August 13, 2013 in Holmes Chapel, United Kingdom.The annual display, known as the Perseid shower because the meteors appear to radiate from the constellation Perseus in the northeastern sky, is a result of Earth\'s orbit passing through debris from the comet Swift-Tuttle. (Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
Meteor Shower Over The United Kingdom(04 of23)
HOLMES CHAPEL, UNITED KINGDOM - AUGUST 13: A Perseid meteor streaks across the sky over the Lovell Radio Telescope at Jodrell Bank on August 13, 2013 in Holmes Chapel, United Kingdom.The annual display, known as the Perseid shower because the meteors appear to radiate from the constellation Perseus in the northeastern sky, is a result of Earth\'s orbit passing through debris from the comet Swift-Tuttle. (Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
Meteor Shower Over The United Kingdom(05 of23)
HOLMES CHAPEL, UNITED KINGDOM - AUGUST 13: A Perseid meteor (R) streaks across the sky past the light trail of an aircraft over the Lovell Radio Telescope at Jodrell Bank on August 13, 2013 in Holmes Chapel, United Kingdom.The annual display, known as the Perseid shower because the meteors appear to radiate from the constellation Perseus in the northeastern sky, is a result of Earth\'s orbit passing through debris from the comet Swift-Tuttle. (Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
Perseid meteor shower(06 of23)
A meteor is seen during the Perseids meteor shower over the one of the stones of the Avebury\'s Neolithic henge monument in Wiltshire. (credit:PA)
Perseid meteor shower(07 of23)
A meteor is seen during the Perseids meteor shower over the Cotswold Water Park near Cirencester, Gloucestershire. (credit:PA)
(08 of23)
In this photo provided by Kevin Clifford, a meteor from the annual Perseid meteor shower falls from space over ruins at Fort Churchill State Historic Park on Sunday, Aug. 12, 2012, in Silver Springs, Nev. The Perseid meteors are debris left from the comet Swift-Tuttle. Fort Churchill was built in 1861 by the United States army to protect early settlers. (AP Photo/Kevin Clifford) (credit:AP)
Annual Perseid Meteor Shower Is Seen From Nevada Desert(09 of23)
CATHEDRAL GORGE STATE PARK, NV - AUGUST 12: A Perseid meteor streaks across the sky on August 12, 2013 in Cathedral Gorge State Park, Nevada. The annual display, known as the Perseid shower because the meteors appear to radiate from the constellation Perseus in the northeastern sky, is a result of Earth\'s orbit passing through debris from the comet Swift-Tuttle. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
Annual Perseid Meteor Shower Is Seen From Nevada Desert(10 of23)
CATHEDRAL GORGE STATE PARK, NV - AUGUST 12: A Perseid meteor (R) streaks across the sky on August 12, 2013 in Cathedral Gorge State Park, Nevada. The annual display, known as the Perseid shower because the meteors appear to radiate from the constellation Perseus in the northeastern sky, is a result of Earth\'s orbit passing through debris from the comet Swift-Tuttle. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
(11 of23)
Perseid Meteor shower picture taken by Darren Wood
Meteor Shower Over The United Kingdom(12 of23)
HOLMES CHAPEL, UNITED KINGDOM - AUGUST 13: A Perseid meteor (R) streaks across the sky past the light trail of an aircraft over the Lovell Radio Telescope at Jodrell Bank on August 13, 2013 in Holmes Chapel, United Kingdom.The annual display, known as the Perseid shower because the meteors appear to radiate from the constellation Perseus in the northeastern sky, is a result of Earth\'s orbit passing through debris from the comet Swift-Tuttle. (Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
(13 of23)
Perseid passing Andromeda Galaxy, taken in Ashdown Forest 12-08-13 picture taken by Darren Wood
Perseid meteor shower(14 of23)
A meteor is seen during the Perseids meteor shower over the one of the stones of the Avebury\'s Neolithic henge monument in Wiltshire. (credit:PA)
(15 of23)
In this long exposure photo, a streak appears in the sky during the annual Perseid meteor shower above a roadside silhouette of a Spanish fighting bull, conceived decades ago in Spain as highway billboards, in Villarejo de Salvanes, central Spain in the early hours of Monday Aug. 12, 2013. (AP Photo/Paul White) (credit:AP)
(16 of23)
A Perseid meteor streaks across the sky during the annual Perseid meteor shower behind a roadside silhouette of a Spanish fighting bull, conceived decades ago in Spain as highway billboards, in Villarejo de Salvanes, central Spain in the early hours of Monday Aug. 12, 2013. (AP Photo/Paul White) (credit:AP)
(17 of23)
In this long exposure photo, a streak appears in the sky during the annual Perseid meteor shower above a roadside silhouette of a Spanish fighting bull, conceived decades ago in Spain as highway billboards, in Villarejo de Salvanes, central Spain in the early hours of Monday Aug. 12, 2013. (AP Photo/Paul White) (credit:AP)
(18 of23)
In this photo taken with long shutter speed, a meteor sparks, lower right, while entering the earth\'s atmosphere behind an olive tree during the Perseids Meteor Shower, in Fanos village, central Greece, on Saturday, Aug. 10, 2013. The Perseids are a prolific meteor shower associated with the comet Swift-Tuttle. The Perseids shower is visible from mid- July each year, with the peak in activity being between Aug. 9 and 14 depending on the particular location of the stream.(AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris) (credit:AP)
(19 of23)
Stars seen as streaks from a long camera exposure are seen behind and above a roadside silhouette of a Spanish fighting bull, conceived decades ago as highway billboards, in Villarejo de Salvanes, central Spain, 2013. A sign on the bull, put up by protesters, reads \"State schools\" as a reference for a demand for the state funded schools to continue. (AP Photo/Paul White) (credit:AP)
(20 of23)
Taken in Yateley, Hampshire 11th August. Exposure 120 seconds at F4.5 by Alistair King\n
(21 of23)
This long exposure shows stars in the night sky during the Perseid meteor shower near Mitzpe Ramon in the Negev Desert, southern Israel, Sunday, Aug. 12, 2012. The annual Perseid meteor shower peaked early Monday. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit) (credit:AP)
175980237(22 of23)
A multiple exposure picture taken in the early hours of August 11, 2013 shows a Perseids meteor shower in the sky, near the municipality of La Hiruela, on the mountains of the Sierra Norte de Madrid. AFP PHOTO / DANI POZO (Photo credit should read DANI POZO/AFP/Getty Images)
(23 of23)
A multiple exposure picture taken in the early hours of August 11, 2013 shows a Perseids meteor shower in the sky, near the municipality of La Hiruela, on the mountains of the Sierra Norte de Madrid. AFP PHOTO / DANI POZO (Photo credit should read DANI POZO/AFP/Getty Images)
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