The Tunguska event was a massive explosion that occurred on June 30, 1908, in a remote area of Siberia, Russia. It is believed to have been caused by the airburst of a small comet or asteroid, which released energy equivalent to about 10-15 megatons of TNT. The explosion flattened approximately 2,000 square kilometers of forest, knocking down an estimated 80 million trees. Despite the scale of the event, there were no confirmed human casualties, as the area was sparsely populated. The Tunguska event remains one of the largest impact events in recorded history, prompting scientific interest in the potential hazards posed by near-Earth objects.