Washington, Oct 14: An asteroid which burned up in the earth`s atmosphere in June could have triggered a mistaken nuclear war between India and Pakistan had it detonated over South Asia, a report has said. The asteroid sizzled with a burst of energy comparable to the Hiroshima atomic bomb over the Mediterranean, The New York Times yesterday quoted Brigadier General Simon Worden, deputy director of US strategic command, as saying.
He said the US early warning satellites detected the flash of energy released by the small asteroid, a so-called near earth object, or Neo, on June six.
Had the detonation taken place over South Asia, where nuclear armed rivals India and Pakistan were poised on the verge of war, it could have sparked disaster, Worden was quoted as telling a house of representatives science subcommittee.
"Imagine that the Bright flash accompanied by a damaging shockwave had occurred over India and Pakistan," he was quoted as saying.
"To our knowledge, neither of these nations had the sophisticated sensors that can determined the difference between a natural Neo impact and a nuclear detonation.
"The resulting panic in the nuclear armed and hair triggered opposing forces could have been the spark that ignited a nuclear horror we have avoided for over half a century." Bureau Report