Explosion in gas pipeline in Lithuania, no injuries

An explosion occurred Friday in a gas pipeline in central Lithuania, officials said. It caused no injuries but sent flames up to 50 meters high and forced the protective evacuation of a nearby village.The operator of Lithuania’s natural gas transmission system said there are two parallel pipelines, and “initial data indicate that the explosion occurred in one of them.

The other pipeline was not damaged”The gas supply through the damaged pipeline in the Pasvalys area was immediately interrupted.The village of Valakeliai, with about 250 inhabitants, was being evacuated as a precaution.The pipeline carries natural gas from Klaipeda in Lithuania to Latvia.