A man from Kazakhstan has been killed as a result of a fire caused by falling space debris, and another hospitalized, in what may be the first such death ever reported.
The former has been named as Yuri Khatyushin, and the latter as Vyacheslav Tyts. They were part of a clean-up operation for the launch of a Russian Soyuz rocket on Wednesday, June 14. This had launched the Progress MS-06 cargo spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome towards the International Space Station (ISS).
Following the launch, some falling debris from the rocket appears to have started a fire on the Kazakh steppe when it crashed into the ground, according to the Kazakh Tengrinews website. Debris from Russian launches is purposefully left to fall onto the ground. The blaze was reported by AFP to have been 15 kilometers (9.5 miles) across.
The two men were employed by Russian rocket company NPO Mashinostroyeniya to clean up the debris from the rocket. But while attempting to extinguish the blaze, their truck was engulfed in flames due to a strong gust of wind.
A statement from NPO Mashinostroyeniya said the company “will provide all necessary assistance to the families of the deceased and the (injured) victim.” Tyts is currently being treated for his injuries in the town of Zhezkazgan.
More:
http://www.iflscience.com/space/first-ever-death-caused-by-falling-space-debris-reported-in-kazakhstan/It's a technicality, I know. Still not the sort of first you want to get.
