Gas pipeline connecting Lithuania and Latvia hit by explosion
13 January 2023, 18:00 | Updated: 13 January 2023, 18:57
A gas pipeline connecting Lithuania and Latvia has been hit by an explosion, Lithuania gas transmission operator Amber Grid has confirmed.
According to initial data, no people were injured, the operator said - but police have said they're preparing to evacuate a nearby village.
It's not clear what caused the explosion, which took place at around 5pm on Friday.
The explosion took place away from residential buildings in one of two parallel pipelines - and the other one was not damaged.
The gas supply through the damaged pipeline was immediately interrupted, but consumers in the nearby Pasvalys district are already being supplied with gas through an adjacent pipeline.
Nemunas Biknius, CEO of the gas transmission system operator Amber Grid, said: "We regret this incident in the gas pipeline system.
"We immediately started to investigate the circumstances of the incident and ensure gas supply to consumers.
"At the moment, all our efforts and those of the responsible services are focused on containing the consequences of the fire and ensuring safety."
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He continued: "We have immediately informed Government representatives, the Energy Distribution Operator (ESO) and Pasvalys city authorities about the situation.
"We will provide more details on the circumstances of the incident as we have more details."
The gas pipeline where the fire broke out is used to supply gas to the northern part of Lithuania and to transport gas to Latvia.
