Meteorite Crater Causing Mass Sickness?

For our weekly collaboration with Cellar Image of the Day, here is The Andromeda Strain come to life: Peruvian citizens are blaming a mysterious crater, supposedly formed by a meteorite impact, for a host of illnesses:

It has all the hallmarks of a 1950s B-movie - a remote location, mysterious lights in the sky, a crater that appeared from nowhere, and a disease that spread like the plague through locals.

But this is no science fiction film. Officials in Peru yesterday revealed that 200 people had fallen sick after an object from space crashed into the south of the country over the weekend.

But scientists, those party poopers, are unconvinced:

However, other meteor experts are unconvinced. Dr Caroline Smith of the Natural History Museum in London, said: "It's the third incident like this in Peru in the last few years - and none have turned out to be meteorites.

"It's far more likely to have a been caused by the explosion of gases that build up naturally under the ground.

"In that part of Peru, you might get a build up of methane or hydrogen sulphide, both of which have an eggy smell and which could cause health problems."

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