34 killed in Iraq oil pipeline blast
A pipeline carrying oil by-products exploded in a southern Iraqi city today, sparking a massive fire and killing 34 people and injuring another 45.
Several people had been siphoning fuel from the pipeline when the explosion occurred in an industrial zone south of Diwaniyah, 80 miles south of Baghdad, said police Lt. Raid Jabir.
He said at least 34 people had been killed and another 45 injured. The reason for the explosion was not immediately clear.
Jabir said the massive fire in the area was hampering rescue efforts, and that Iraqi and coalition forces had cordoned off the area.
The pipeline is located six miles south of Diwaniyah. It was originally used to transport gas from the Shuaiba oil field in Basra to the Musayyab power station, but former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein converted it to hold petrol reserves for the army, Jabir said.
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