Ten residents of a south Siberian village have complained of headaches since the Progress M-12M space freighter fell to earth in the region. But a spokesman for the Roscosmos space agency said these diseases were not linked to the fragments of a space freighter or to the propellant decontamination facilities.
There are still no fragments of spacecraft or fractions of toxic heptyl fuel found. Some experts say it would have burnt up in the atmosphere. Nevertheless, Russian medical officials have taken several water and ground examples in different parts of the region, but haven't found any radioactive contamination in it.
The Roscosmos spokesman said that if people really had been poisoned with some toxic matter, then a lot more people would have requested medical help, with a lot more serious symptoms than just a headache. Altai Territory's authorities continue to search for the fragments of the Progress M-12M space freighter.
At first the most parts of Altai's forests were closed for the local residents, holiday-makers and gatherers of mushrooms and berries, but after rescuers and medics have inspected it carefully, many of these parts are opened for visitors again.
On Wednesday Russian Progress M-12M space freighter sent a short breakdown report while separating from the Soyuz-U carrier rocket. Then the space freighter left the radio coverage zone, and The Mission Control was unable to receive any telemetry data from it. Later it was found out that the spacecraft failed to achieve the required orbital velocity and fell in South Siberia's Altai Republic.
Sources: RIA Novosti (1), (2) RBC.ru
See Also: Regions & Cities, Science and Education
Author: Julia Alieva