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Russian Weather Rocket Crashes Near Kazakh Village


Authorities in Kazakhstan have said a Russian meteorological rocket has crashed near a village in West Kazakhstan Oblast.

The Kazakh Defense Ministry made the announcement on March 28, saying the rocket crashed in the early morning hours on March 27 near the village of Shungai.

There were no reported casualties or damage, although rocket fragments were reportedly recovered less than a kilometer from the village.

Kazakh officials also said there was no harm to the environment.

The MN-300 rocket was launched from a Russian military base at Kapustin Yar in Russia's southern Astrakhan Oblast and the Kazakh government had been informed in advance.

Kazakh authorities have temporarily suspended Russian rocket launches from Kazakh territory pending an investigation into the cause of the crash.
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