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At least 5 injured in pipeline explosion in Moscow

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-05-10 13:23

MOSCOW -- A gas pipeline explosion in southwest Moscow caused a huge fire early Sunday, injuring at least 5 people, local media reported.

The fire, caused by a gas pipeline explosion on the Ozernaya Street, not far from the Moscow Ring Road, at about 00:20 Moscow time (2020 GMT Saturday), has produced strong flames and set several buildings in fire, the Itar-Tass news agency said.

A firefighter sprays water on the wall of a building to prevent it from catching fire in Moscow May 10, 2009. A gas pipeline exploded in southwest Moscow early on Sunday, sending flames 100 metres into the air and setting buildings and cars ablaze. [Agencies]

Four of the five injured were hospitalized. The fifth victim, with eight percent of his body burned, refused to go to hospital.

The Emergency Situations Ministry workers said the fire was currently decreasing, but they would need at least five more hours to extinguish it.

Investigation has already started and the aging pipelines might be the cause for the explosion.

Moscow's Mayor Yuri Luzhkov, who arrived at the scene, believes the explosion was caused by technical problems.

"I am sure that it's a techogenic disaster by 99 percent," the mayor said.

Luzhkov said that the pipe rupture occurred underground may have burst due to some technical problems such as a sharp leap of pressure.

"At first there were flops which were followed by a fire," he said.

Moscow's First Vice-Mayor Pyotr Biryukov said the fire is the largest in the past few decades.

There had been a gas emission, Biryukov admitted. Gas workers and experts from the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations are trying to close the valves.

"Judging from the previous experience, the gas will continue burning out for several hours even after all the valves are shut," Biryukov said.

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