Reply #6: Egypt-Israel gas pipeline attacked

[Turborama]

Source: Al Jazeera English

Unknown attackers have blown up a pipeline that runs through Egypt's North Sinai and supplies gas to Israel, Egypt's state television reported.

It was not immediately clear what impact Saturday's blast had on gas flows.

"Saboteurs took advantage of the security situation and blew up the gas pipeline," a state television correspondent reported, saying there was a big explosion.

He also blamed the blast on"terrorists".

Residents in the area also reported a huge explosion and said flames were raging in an area near the pipeline in the El-Arish area of north Sinai.

Read more: http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2011/02/20112572657906674.html

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Reports coming in to live TV say that it could have been carried out by disgruntled Bedouins on the border taking advantage of what's going on in the rest of Egypt.


Egypt map - Arish - gas pipeline blown up

9:57am: Our correspondent in Cairo, following this morning's explosion in northern Sinai, says on Twitter: "No casualties in gas pipeline explosion fire now contained investigation underway"

9:46am: The Egyptian army has closed the main source of gas supplying the pipeline that was attacked in northern Sinai this morning, a security source tells Reuters.

"The armed forces and the authorities managed to close the main the source of flow and are trying to control the fires," the source said.

9:34am: There are no reports of casualties in the Sinai blast.

From AJE's live blog: http://blogs.aljazeera.net/middle-east/2011/02/04/live-blog-feb-5-egypt-protests