NASA and ESA announce "risk corridor" with countries where asteroid 2024 YR4 could impact

NASA and its European counterpart, ESA, have announced the 'risk corridor' outlining the countries where asteroid 2024 YR4 could impact within the next seven years. Astronomers note that the potential impact zone extends from "northern South America, across the Pacific Ocean, to southern Asia, the Arabian Sea, and Africa."

Despite the impact probability remaining low (between 2.2% and 2.3%, according to the agencies) and potentially changing as the asteroid approaches Earth and its trajectory can be better calculated, scientists have made estimates on where it is most likely to hit.

Venezuela, Ecuador and Colombia, among those likely to be affected by the asteroid impact

According to David Rankin, of NASA's Catalina Sky Survey Project, the "risk corridor" according to the current trajectory of 2024 YR4 corresponds to the area from "northern South America, across the Pacific Ocean, to southern Asia, the Arabian Sea and Africa." Countries that would be "at risk" include India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Sudan, Venezuela, Ecuador and Colombia.

The asteroid isfar from being a risk to destroy a planet (Planet Killer) because of its size, but it could devastate cities or areas, experts say. The networks have rushed to baptize it as "City Killer," after learning this information.

While the planets killer are space rocks of at least 1 kilometer in diameter whose impact could have a devastating effect on life (the one that wiped out dinosaurs 66 million years ago was 6.2 miles - 10 kilometers - in diameter), 2024 YR4 would be the size of a large building (between131 and 295 feet, about 40-90 meters wide).