MOSCOW. Feb 15 (Interfax) - An asteroid that will fly past the Earth on Friday evening is no threat to our planet, said Russian Emergency Situations Minister Vladimir Puchkov.
"We keep monitoring Russia's territory in connection with reports that an asteroid will fly past the Earth at 11:25 p.m. Moscow time at a distance of 27,000 kilometers. The asteroid poses no threat to Earth," Puchkov said in a conference call on Friday.
"But curious people could watch the asteroid using binoculars or telescopes if the weather allows," he said.
Puchkov instructed the crew of the Struna laboratory to check whether the buildings are stable enough in the zone where a meteorite fell on Friday.
"An emergency situation regime has been declared in Chelyabinsk Region. The emergency warning systems of the Urals and Volga federal districts remain on alert," Puchkov said.
The national system of monitoring and predicting emergency situations remains in alert, too, he said.