Eyewitness Semanov thrown 20 feet by blast at Vanavara trading station. Eyewitness Semanov was sitting on the porch at the Vanavara trading station when the sky split in two He felt intense heat as if his shirt caught fire before the sound arrived Semanov was thrown about 22 feet (3 sagenes) from the porch and lost consciousness
Eyewitness Semanov was sitting on his porch at the Vanavara trading station when the sky split in two. He felt scorching heat as if his shirt caught fire, was thrown about 22 feet from the porch, and lost consciousness—all from 40 miles away. Closer reindeer herders had tents ripped away; one man went deaf for years.
Key Facts
- Eyewitness Semanov was sitting on the porch at the Vanavara trading station when the sky split in two
- He felt intense heat as if his shirt caught fire before the sound arrived
- Semanov was thrown about 22 feet (3 sagenes) from the porch and lost consciousness
- His daughter described seeing the sky in the north open to the ground with fire pouring out
- Vanavara was approximately 40 miles from the epicenter
- Reindeer herders closer to the site had tents torn away and thrown by the blast
- One man was rendered deaf for years after the event
Source: A 15 Megaton Explosion Over Siberia and Humanity Forgot! by The Randall Carlson