MOSCOW (AP) -- Some Russians thought it was the end of the world.

In fact, it was just the end of a meteor that exploded some 20 to 30 miles above the ground today, over the Ural Mountains.

About 1,100 people were injured, many by flying glass as they flocked to windows to see what had caused the flash of light. The shock wave from the meteor caused windows to shatter in thousands of buildings.

A resident of a city of about 1 million people says, `There was panic. People had no idea what was happening." He says there was "a big burst of light" followed by a "really loud, thundering sound."

Another resident says some elderly women started crying out that the world was ending.

Scientists say the meteor released several kilotons of energy above the region. They say it was probably about six and a half feet across, about the size of an SUV.

City officials say the shock wave blew in an estimated one million square feet of glass. They say 3,000 buildings in the city were damaged. At a zinc factory, part of the roof collapsed.

There's no word of any deaths, or anyone struck by fragments of the meteor.

(Copyright 2013 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

A Russian health official says nearly 1,000 people have sought help for injuries caused by a meteor that exploded in the sky, blasting out countless windows.

Chelyabinsk health chief Marina Moskvicheva, said Friday that 985 people in her city had asked for medical assistance. The Interfax news agency quoted her as saying 43 were hospitalized.

The Russian Academy of Sciences said the meteor -- estimated to be about 10 tons -- entered the Earth's atmosphere going at least 33,000 mph. It shattered about 18-32 miles above the ground, releasing several kilotons of energy above the Ural Mountains.

Amateur video broadcast on Russian television showed an object speeding across the sky just after sunrise, leaving a thick white contrail and an intense flash.

(Copyright 2013 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)