A meteor streaked across the sky and exploded over Russia’s Ural Mountains with the power of an atomic bomb yesterday, its sonic blasts shattering countless windows and injuring about 1,100 people.

A meteor streaked across the sky and exploded over Russia’s Ural Mountains with the power of an atomic bomb today, its sonic blasts shattering countless windows and injuring about 1,100 people.

Nuclear experts have insisted there is no safety threat after a partial roof collapse at the wrecked Chernobyl nuclear power plant.

FIRES have scorched forests contaminated with radiation from the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, a Russian forestry official said yesterday, but it was unclear what danger the smoke from such wildfires could pose.