Russian scientists have found the largest fragment of the meteorite which exploded over the Ural Mountains on Feb. 15, a member of the Russian Academy of Science said Monday.

"The largest piece's weight is over one kilogram," Victor Grokhovsky, a member of the Academy's Meteorite Committee, told the Interfax news agency.

The search team of the Urals Federal University, with the help of 30 skiers, covered 50 km in search of the debris of the meteorite, whose blast wave had injured about 1,200 people in the city of Chelyabinsk.

Over 24,000 workers and 4,300 pieces of equipment were involved in clearing up the damage caused by the meteorite.

The stone meteorite disintegrated while passing through the lower layers of atmosphere and the main "package" of the debris landed near the Chebarkul lake west of Chelyabinsk.

To date, about 50 small pieces the size of coins have been found. More pieces in the area were hopefully to be found, Grokhovsky said.