ATTACK OF THE MARTIANS !!!!

[Mike]

Scores ill in Peru 'meteor crash' 

Some 600 people in Peru have required treatment after an object from space - said to be a meteorite - plummeted to Earth in a remote area, officials say. They say the object left a deep crater after crashing down over the weekend near the town of Carancas in the Andes.

People who have visited scene have been complaining of headaches, vomiting and nausea after inhaling gases. A team of scientists is on its way to the site to collect samples and verify whether it was indeed a meteorite.

"It [the object] is buried in the earth," local resident Heber Mamani told the BBC.

"That is why we are asking for an analysis because we are worried for our people. They are afraid. A bull is dead and some other animals are already sick," he said.

The incident began on Saturday night, when people near Carancas in the Puno region, some 1,300km (800 miles) south of Lima, reported seeing a fireball in the sky coming towards them.

The object then hit the ground, leaving a 30m (98ft) wide and 6m (20ft) deep crater.

The crater spewed what officials described as fetid, noxious gases.

The gases are believed to have affected the health of about 600 people who visited the site.

Most of the victims have been complaining of headaches, vomiting and nausea.

Honorio Campoblanco, one of Peru's leading geologists, called on the authorities to stop people going near the crash site.

But he discarded the possibility that the symptoms would have been caused by any form of radiation.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/7001897.stm

[Rick]

Hmmm... Seems to have landed in relatively soft soil on an old flood plain or dried-up lake bed. Bet they blame the sickness on "swamp gas"... it's the traditional explanation!

[Ian]

anyone who goes to DSC knows just about all there is to know about "swamp gas".

Still didn't get to try Pauls beans. Maybe next time...

[Rick]

Relax: the aliens aren't using poisonous space rocks to soften us up in advance of an invasion, after all.

Last week, you may recall, a meteorite fell in Peru. Locals who were first on the scene reported feeling ill immediately after contact with the space rock, with symptoms including headaches and nausea.

Speculation began immediately as to the possible cause of the illness. Was it radiation? Alien bugs? Toxic gases? Was the meteorite a meteorite at all, or was it an explosion of marsh gas?

More: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/09/25/peru_meteor/

[Mike]

Dammit! I had nearly finished my alien invasion bunker in the garden too!   

Anyone want to buy 1000 tins of Baked Beans ?

[Rick]

Ah! It was the Baked Beanz wot did it!