Beirut: A Syrian activist group says an oil pipeline in the central city of Homs has been hit, causing a huge fire.
The Local Coordination Committees says the pipeline was hit on Wednesday morning in the neighbourhood of Baba Amr, which has been shelled by regime troops for the past 12 days.
Video by Homs activists broadcast on social networking sites shows thick black smoke billowing from what appears to be a residential area.
Homs is home to one of Syria's two oil refineries. It has also been one of the cities hardest hit by President Bashar Assad's crackdown on a popular uprising that began in March.
The UN said in January that more than 5,400 people have been killed in the crackdown.
Oil and gas pipelines have been subjected to attacks in Syria in the past months.
Bureau Report
First Published: Wednesday, February 15, 2012, 13:26