Pipeline blasts shut down Russian gas supplies to Georgia
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2006-01-22 16:05

Supply of Russian natural gas to neighboring Georgia was suspended early Sunday after a series of explosions ripped a gas pipeline linking the two countries.

"A sharp drop in the gas pressure was reported in the Mozdok-Tbilisi gas pipeline at 2:55 a.m. Sunday (2355 GMT Saturday). At 3:05 a.m. (0005 GMT), the pipeline was shut off," Vladimir Ivanov, spokesman for the Emergency Situations Ministry of the Caucasian region of North Ossetia, was quoted by the Interfax news agency as saying.

The blasts damaged the main and reserve pipelines on the Russian side of the border with Georgia in North Ossetia, Ivanov said, adding the cause of the explosions was still unknown and experts were working at the site to investigate.

Experts estimated restoration of the pipelines will take two to three days.
Georgia is heavily dependent on Russia for gas supply.