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Two Siberian villagers seek damages for fallen rocket parts

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NOVOSIBIRSK, April 3 (RIA Novosti) - Two villagers in Russia's southwestern Siberian Altai Republic plan to sue the space agency Roscosmos for damages over fallen fragments of carrier rockets, the local administration said on Thursday.

On February 5 a three-and-a-half-meter (11 foot) long fragment of a Proton-M carrier rocket launched from the Baikonur space center leased by Russia in nearby Kazakhstan fell near the yard of an Altai shepherd.

The second incident occurred on March 11 when a small rocket fragment landed in a village in the Altai Republic destroying a shed roof.

The shepherd is seeking damages of 1 million rubles ($40,000) from Roscosmos, saying that the rocket fragment fall badly frightened his children. Earlier he sought 500,000 rubles ($21,000) but raised the claim.

The second villager has not specified the size of his claim, saying it should be established in compliance with the law.

In both incidents, the fragments fell outside the designated area for rocket debris.

The local administration has sent a letter to Roscosmos along with the villagers' two lawsuits, requesting that the space agency prevent the fall of rocket fragments outside the designated area.

Meanwhile, Roscosmos said the Finance Ministry has not yet devised a mechanism of compensation payments for such cases.

"While the Finance Ministry has not yet devised a mechanism of enforcing the rights of affected residents, it is possible to speak about payments only after a corresponding court ruling," a Roscosmos spokesman said.

A few years ago another resident of the region sought damages from Roscosmos in similar circumstances. A court awarded him a mere $400 in compensation.

The Altai Republic has been used as a "cemetery" for fallen fragments of carrier rockets launched from the Baikonur space center for more than 40 years. Experts estimate that about 2.5 metric tons of "space waste" have fallen in unpopulated areas of the republic during this period.

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