EXTRA: Pipeline explosion causes damages, pollutes water supply

An explosion in an oil pipeline extending from the northern Kirkuk oilfields to Bayji refineries caused damage to both the line and another parallel pipeline between Iraq and Turkey. The ensuing fire affected only a section of the Kirkuk-Bayji pipe which runs over River Tigris, but caused an oil leak and a black fog in the area. As meanwhile, firefighters struggled to contain the damage, said a source in the local oil industry. According to another source in Salahaddin's water department, the explosion - perpetrators of which are unknown - caused the oil to seep into the Tigris, polluting it and causing water stations in the area to be temporarily closed down. The incident affected the water supply up to 40 kilometres south of the explosion site, the source added. The explosion is expected to cause a halt in Bayji refineries' production, which reportedly covers more than half of Iraq's needs in oil products. dpa str pa sc