An accident occurred in a natural gas pipeline in northern Lithuania. near the border with Latvia It exploded violently and ignited heavily. Initially, no injuries were found. but had to evacuate nearby villages
On Friday, January 13, 2023 at approximately 5:00 p.m. local time ofLithuania A violent explosion occurred at the pipeline.natural gasin Pasvalis north of the country close to the borderLatvia causing a severe fire The fire rose more than 50 meters into the sky before the authorities were able to control the fire around 9:00 p.m.
Initially, there were no reports of injuries or deaths in this incident. But about 250 people living in the village of Valakelie near the scene of the attack had to be evacuated for safety.
The cause of the explosion is still unknown. The Lithuanian authorities have ordered the investigation to begin. Latvian Defense Minister Artis Pabriks stated on Twitter that does not rule out the possibility that the explosion was sabotage
However, Amber Grid, the operator of the gas pipeline that exploded, The incident was not believed to be an attack. “From the preliminary assessment We found no malice. But the investigation remains comprehensive in every possible way,” said Nemunas Biknius, the company’s CEO. “We see no signs of any external impact.”
Mr Biknius said that The gas pipeline, which was built in 1978, has recently undergone maintenance. and officials are investigating Was the maintenance related to the explosion?
The company’s CEO, Amber Grid, added that the gas pipeline at the scene was a dual-pipe system. The explosion damaged one of the pipes. The other pipe is nothing. They plan to bring natural gas delivery back to near-normal levels within hours. And intends not to let customers feel the effects of this event.