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Meteorite Kills Man: Police First Suspected Bombing Killed Indian Bus Driver

  • by: Alan Duke
  • (Mon, 08 Feb 2016 18:02:48 Z)

A bus driver was killed when a meteor landed on a college campus in Vellore, India, Saturday, Indian officials confirmed Monday. The explosion also injured three others and shattered windows in several buses.

It was initially thought to be a bomb blast that rocked Bharathidasan Engineering College and gouged a small crater in the ground, but investigators have found fragments of the celestial object leading the conclusion it was a meteorite that killed the 40-year-old man.

Witnesses said the man was drinking water from a tank in the garden when explosion happened. He fell to the ground bleeding and died on the way to a hospital.

"A mishap occurred yesterday when a meteorite fell in the campus of a private engineering college in Vellore district's K Pantharappalli village," Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa said in a written statement.

Fragments of the meteorite were recovered from his body.

About the author:

Editor-in-Chief Alan Duke co-founded Lead Stories after ending a 26-year career with CNN, where he mainly covered entertainment, current affairs and politics. Duke closely covered domestic terrorism cases for CNN, including the Oklahoma City federal building bombing, the UNABOMBER and search for Southeast bomber Eric Robert Rudolph. CNN moved Duke to Los Angeles in 2009 to cover the entertainment beat. Duke also co-hosted a daily podcast with former HLN host Nancy Grace, "Crime Stories with Nancy Grace" and hosted the podcast series "Stan Lee's World: His Real Life Battle with Heroes & Villains." You'll also see Duke in many news documentaries, including on the Reelz channel, CNN and HLN.

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