Living in Peru : your everyday companion

(LIP-ir) -- Puno, Peru's Regional Health Directorate reported yesterday that doctors and nurses found it necessary to establish auxiliary medical tents near the health center in Carancas.

The medical tents were established so as to aid the rising number of people reporting to be sick after a meteorite landed in the area on Saturday afternoon.

According to Peru's La Republica newspaper, due to the high number of illnesses, district authorities are considering placing the town of Carancas, Puno, Peru in a state of emergency. It has been reported that at least 600 people have been affected by the meteorite.

Puno, Peru's Regional Health Director, Jorge López Tejada, reported yesterday that at least 150 people had been seen after having stated they had dermal injuries, were dizzy, nauseous or vomiting.

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.

- related articles -
separator
	Scientist Confirms Meteor ite in Puno, Peru is a Chondrite (by LIP, Sept 18, 2007)
	Peru: Regional Health Director Reports on Health Near Meteor ite Crash Site (by LIP, Sept 18, 2007)
	Police Officers Hospitalized After Collecting Meteor ite Samples in Peru (by LIP, Sept 18, 2007)
	Peru's Geologists and Physicists Sent to Study Crater left by Meteor ite (by LIP, Sept 18, 2007)
	Meteor ite Lands in Puno, Peru Near Bolivia, Citizens Report Radiation Sickness (by LIP, Sept 17, 2007)
separator
-