Russian scientists recover tiny meteor fragments from ice-crusted lake

In this photo distributed by the Urals Federal University Press Service a researcher examines pieces of a meteorite in a laboratory in Yekaterinburg on Monday, Feb.18, 2013. Researchers from the Urals Federal University, based in Yekaterinburg, have determined that the small stone-like pieces found near Lake Cherbarkul in the Chelyabinsk region are pieces of the meteorite that exploded over the region Feb. 15. A total of 53 pieces have been brought for analysis to the university in Yekaterinburg. The largest one is one centimeter in diameter, the smallest is about one millimeter. (AP Photo/ The Urals Federal University Press Service) (The Associated Press)

In this frame grab taken from AP video, a researcher touches a piece of a meteorite in a laboratory in Yekaterinburg on Monday, Feb. 18, 2013. Researchers from the Urals Federal University, based in Yekaterinburg, have determined that the small stone-like pieces found near Lake Cherbarkul in the Chelyabinsk region are pieces of the meteorite that exploded over the region Feb. 15. A total of 53 pieces have been brought for analysis to the university in Yekaterinburg. The largest one is one centimeter in diameter, the smallest is about one millimeter. (AP Photo/ AP Video) (The Associated Press)

In this photo distributed by the Urals Federal University Press Service a researcher examines pieces of a meteorite in a laboratory in Yekaterinburg on Monday, Feb.18, 2013. Researchers from the Urals Federal University, based in Yekaterinburg, have determined that the small stone-like pieces found near Lake Cherbarkul in the Chelyabinsk region are pieces of the meteorite that exploded over the region Feb. 15. A total of 53 pieces have been brought for analysis to the university in Yekaterinburg. The largest one is one centimeter in diameter, the smallest is about one millimeter. It is written in Cyrillic: Meteorite Chebarkul. (AP Photo/ The Urals Federal University Press Service, Alexander Khlopotov) (The Associated Press)

Scientists have found more than 50 tiny fragments of a meteor that exploded over Russia's Ural Mountains with the power of dozens of atomic bombs.

Viktor Grokhovsky, who led the expedition from Urals Federal University, said Monday the meteorites plucked from the ice-covered Chebarkul Lake so far are less than a centimeter (less than half an inch) and had an iron content of about 10 percent.

Locals saw a big meteorite fall into the lake on Friday, leaving a six-meter-wide (20-foot-wide) hole in the ice. Grokhovsky said a meteorite up to 50-60 centimeters (20-24 inches) could eventually be found in the lake.

Russian health officials on Monday raised the number of those injured from the meteor's arrival to nearly 1,500 people, with 46 of them still hospitalized.