Aftermath of gas pipeline explosion in Lithuania

A powerful gas pipeline explosion that prompted the evacuation of a village in northern Lithuania was most likely caused by a technical malfunction, the head of the country's natural gas transmission system said Saturday.

About 250 people were evacuated from the nearby village of Valakeliai as a precaution. The fire was extinguished by midnight and the residents returned to their homes on Saturday as repair work began on the damaged pipeline.

The head of AB Amber Grid, which operates Lithuania’s natural gas transmission system said a possible cause for the explosion was defects in the welding seam of the pipeline.

The pipeline carries gas from Lithuania’s Baltic port of Klaipeda to neighboring Latvia. An adjacent pipeline was not damaged and continued to supply gas to consumers in the area.