Crude spills into Tigris after Iraq bomb

[ProSense]

Crude spills into Tigris after Iraq bomb

By BASSEM MROUE, Associated Press Writer
Tue Sep 18, 10:57 AM ET

BAGHDAD - A bomb exploded under an oil pipeline near the northern city of Beiji on Tuesday, causing huge quantities of crude oil to spill into the Tigris River, a police official said. The U.S. military blamed al-Qaida insurgents.

The Iraqi police official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media, said the bomb went off before dawn, delaying the firefighters' arrival at the scene to extinguish the blaze. Because of the danger across the country, Iraqis avoid going outside before daylight.

Beiji, 155 miles north of Baghdad, is the home to Iraq's largest oil refinery.

The U.S. military said in a statement that the part of the pipeline that was hit was some 7 feet underground and covered with a slab of concrete.

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[LisaM]

1. Oil, always oil. Is there going to be anything LEFT of the planet?

Sigh.