Peruvian Natural Gas Pipeline Ruptures For Fifth Time Since Mid-2004

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LIMA, Peru — A natural gas pipeline running through Peru's southern Amazon jungle ruptured for the fifth time, triggering an explosion that burned two nearby residents, officials and local media said.

The break in the Camisea duct occurred Saturday near the Urubamba River, in the department of Cusco, some 500 kilometers (313 miles) east of the capital, Lima. Two Machiguenga Indians -- husband and wife -- were treated for burns in an Amazon health post, the El Comercio newspaper said on Sunday. Their three daughters escaped the explosion without injury but the family's crops were destroyed.

Saturday's was the pipeline's fifth rupture since operations began in mid-2004 and came only a week after an environmental consulting firm warned that the duct's poor construction would result in further breaks. Gustavo Navarro, hydrocarbons director at Peru's Ministry of Energy and Mines, told Peru 21 newspaper that an investigation to determine what caused the "violent rupture," is underway, adding that the pipeline's operator, Transportadora del Gas del Peru, or TGP, has suspended pumping in the area.

TGP spokesmen were not available for comment on Sunday.

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