Explosion and fire hit major Russian gas pipeline

[Rainscents]

Source: Reuters News

Explosion and fire hit major Russian gas pipeline
Thu Jul 26, 2007 3:13AM IST
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ST PETERSBURG, Russia (Reuters) - An explosion and fire hit a major gas pipeline in northwest Russia early on Thursday but it was unclear if exports were affected, officials and witnesses said.

"It is an explosion on a trunk gas pipeline under high pressure," said Valentin Sedorin, a spokesman for the Leningrad region around Russia's second city of St Petersburg.

It was not immediately clear if the pipeline carried gas for export. The main route for Russian gas to Europe, the Yamal-Europe pipeline, is well to the south. But a pipeline shipping gas to Finland is near the area where the explosion happened.

There was no word on casualties but witnesses spoke of a massive explosion that shook buildings 5 km away. Officials did not say what caused the blast.

A Reuters reporter on his way to the scene of the blast by road said he could see flames and the air was thick with smoke. He said the opposite carriageway was clogged with vehicles trying to flee.

A spokesperson for TGC-1, an electricity generating company with a power station on the outskirts of St Petersburg, said the explosion was at a gas pipeline next to the station.



Read more: http://in.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idINIndia-28656720070725

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OK... what IS going on? It seems like, there's Pipe explosion's going off everywhere past few days???

[Kagemusha]

1. A lot of people don't like Russia.

Pipelines are natural targets.

[tanglefoot]

2. A company from Texas hired a bunch of idjits to put in a new pipeline

through my neighborhood. They must have had to FLUNK the IQ test to get the job. Can't drive. Don't watch the road when they are supposed to be flagging traffic. Pull out in front of people without looking. Drive past intersections like they have no idea where they're going, then back up to turn. Stop in the middle of the road for no apparent reason without signals of any kind or even brake lights.

Yikes! I can see how this crap happens. I'm not sure if I should be happy it's an oil pipeline rather than gas.

[Eugene]

3. Russian pipeline blast won't hit foreign consumers

Source: Reuters

Russian pipeline blast won't hit foreign consumers
25 Jul 2007 23:20:15 GMT
Source: Reuters

LAVRIKI, Russia, July 26 (Reuters) - A powerful
explosion which hit a gas pipeline in northwest
Russia was not caused by an act of terror and
the accident will not affect supplies to foreign
consumers, senior officials said on Thursday.

"This will not affect supplies to Russian or foreign
consumers of Russian natural gas in any way,"
Sergei Gustov, head of Gazprom's local subsidiary
Peterbuggaz told Reuters at the scene outside
Russia's second largest city of St Petersburg.

Vladimir Kudryavtsev, head of the regional
emergencies ministry department, said: "I
personally exclude a version that this was caused
by an act of terror."

Link: http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L25378345.htm