Three killed in Russian gas pipeline explosion during repairs

Three workers were killed in an explosion at a Russian pipeline that was being repaired.

The incident occurred Tuesday at the Urengoy-Pomary-Uzhhorod pipeline in the Chuvashia region in central Russia. In addition to the deaths, another worker was injured. The blast caused a fireball of burning gas to rise.

Export supplies were not effected by the explosion as they were re-routed to different lines, Gazprom officials said.

The pipeline, which starts in Siberia before traveling through Ukraine, is one of the main natural gas suppliers to the European Union.

Oleg Nikolayev, the governor of Chuvashia, said it was unclear how long repairs to the impacted area would take but noted the fire was extinguished quickly.

In September, the Nord 1 and Nord 2 pipelines under the Baltic Sea were damaged in an explosion believed to have been an act of sabotage, though it is not known who is responsible.

With News Wire Services