Russia's Mir space station was fully destroyed upon its re-entry into the Earth's atmosphere over the South Pacific at 0559 GMT Friday, Russian mission control said.
Debris fell from the doomed 15-year-old orbiter after it broke up and ignited on its final descent to a watery grave northeast of Australia.
The exploding space station was spotted by witnesses as it passed over the South Pacific island of Fiji, where local people reported that the orbiter flashed silently across the sky.
Some 20 tons of debris, with pieces as large as a car, were expected to smash into the ocean halfway between New Zealand and Chile -- KOROLYOV, Russia (AFP)
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