Scientists working with the Indian Centre for Space Physics (ICSP), Kolkata have said that they are looking to buy fragments of the meteorite that fell in Ural region of Russia for detailed analysis. The team is aiming to study the rock to investigate the mysteries of the origin of life.

S. K. Chakrabarti, honorary professor at ICSP said, "We believe that complex molecules originated in space and meteorites could provide insights into the origin of life. We would like to buy and study pieces of the Russian meteorite to gain valuable insights.

The ICSP team is acquiring equipment, which is capable of analysis particles as small has hair, from the US to study the meteorite. The equipment is expected to cost about Rs. 3 crore to the institute in the eastern Indian city. The team will look to acquire a piece of the rock after it is able to get the equipment from the US.

The meteorite weighing about 10 tonnes hit Russia's Ural Mountains on Friday and spread a panic wave across the region after the shockwaves shook buildings and smashed windows. Reports say that about 1,200 people were injured after the meteor exploded in the sky above Ural Mountains on Friday.