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An explosion hit a pipeline carrying natural gas from Iran to Turkey, forcing the authorities to shut the conduit, officials and media reports said Wednesday.

The blast occurred overnight at a section of the pipeline near the eastern Turkish town of Dogubayazit, several kilometres from the Iranian border, a local official told AFP by telephone, without giving other details.

The cause of the blast was not immediately known.

The authorities turned off the flow of gas and firefighters brought the blaze under control, Anatolia news agency reported.

The blast shattered the windows of buildings in a nearby village, it said and an investigation has been launched to determine the cause of the explosion.

Earlier this month, militants of the separatist Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) were blamed for a blast that hit a pipeline carrying oil from Iraq in southeastern Turkey.

The PKK has dramatically stepped up violence since its jailed leader Abdullah Ocalan said through his lawyers in May he was abandoning efforts to seek dialogue with Ankara.

Story from AFP
AFP 07/21/2010 08:07

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