Named for the town near the Podkammenaya (stony) Tunguska river in Siberia {see planet  (5471)}. On 1908 June 30 a large bolide, probably an asteroid fragment, exploded in the atmosphere, almost 70 km north of Vanavara. Almost 2000 square kilometers of the taiga forest were suddenly flattened. Tungus reindeer herders, living in the forests, were thrown to the ground, and many of them lost their herds and tepees. Several houses in Vanavara were damaged. On the occasion of the 37th expedition to Tunguska, the discoverer was very warmly received by the people of Vanavara. (M 25979) _ _.