Lithuania-Latvia gasoline pipeline blows up, however no signal of assault

A gasoline pipeline connecting Lithuania and Latvia was hit by an explosion on Friday however there was no rapid proof of an assault.

Vilnius,UPDATED: Jan 14, 2023 07:57 IST

Flames rise from a gasoline pipeline burning after an explosion, in Pasvalys, Lithuania, January 13, 2023, on this image obtained from social media. (Reuters picture)

By Reuters: A gasoline pipeline connecting Lithuania and Latvia was hit by an explosion on Friday however there was no rapid proof of an assault, Lithuania gasoline transmission operator Amber Grid mentioned.

Video revealed by Lithuania’s public broadcaster LRT confirmed a hearth raging on the blast web site within the Panevezys county in northern Lithuania. The fireplace was put out, the Lithuania pipeline grid operator’s chief government mentioned.

“According to the initial assessment, we do not see any malign cause, but the investigation will cover all possible options,” Amber Grid Chief Executive Nemunas Biknius advised a information convention.

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The provide of gasoline was lower off however the CEO mentioned the blast had broken one among two parallel pipelines sending gasoline from Lithuania to Latvia and that Amber deliberate to revive provide by utilizing the unaffected one.

Emergency service automobiles are seen as flames rise from a gasoline pipeline burning after an explosion, in Pasvalys, Lithuania, January 13, 2023, on this image obtained from social media. (Reuters picture)

“We plan to restore the gas supply in a few hours, in comparable amounts. We plan that the clients will not feel an impact from this event”, Biknius advised reporters.

Lithuania, like war-torn Ukraine, borders Russia and is located on the Baltic Sea the place the Russia-to-Germany Nord Stream gasoline pipelines have been destroyed by explosions final 12 months.

Flames initially rose some 50 metres (160 ft) within the air and could possibly be seen at a distance of at the least 17 km (11 miles), LRT reported.

There have been no accidents or fatalities reported, Baltic information company BNS mentioned.

Povilas Balciunas, the pinnacle of public administration within the close by city of Pasvalys, advised Reuters flames initially burned like “a big torch of gas” earlier than calming down.

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Published On:

Jan 14, 2023