Tehran: Up to 10 people are feared dead
from a gas pipeline blast near Iran's northeastern city of
Mashhad and another 16 sustained burns of various degrees, the
Fars news agency reported on Saturday, the day after the accident.
"Around nine or 10 people have been reported dead and
some 16 of the people working there have been taken to
hospital in Mashhad, out of whom six were treated as
outpatients," Fars quoted Alireza Gharibi, managing director
of the state-run Iran Gas Engineering and Development Company,
as saying.
Officials said yesterday that the explosion occurred when
a mechanical shovel struck a pipeline carrying gas from
Khangiran refinery near Turkmenistan border to the Iranian
holy city of Mashhad.
PTI
First Published: Sunday, September 12, 2010, 00:05