PKK blamed for Turkey-Iran gas line explosion

Supplies will be halted for several days while repairs are carried out

FILE PHOTO: A gas flare on an oil production platform in the Soroush oil fields is seen alongside an Iranian flag in the Persian Gulf, Iran, July 25, 2005. REUTERS/Raheb Homavandi/File Photo
Powered by automated translation

An explosion in eastern Turkey on Tuesday damaged a natural gas pipeline and halted gas flows from Iran, Turkey’s state-run news agency reported.

The explosion occurred in the town of Dogubayazit, near the Gurbulak border gate with Iran, Anadolu Agency reported.

Flames caused by the explosion could be seen from nearby villages before the fire was extinguished.

The agency said the cause of the explosion was under investigation.

Iran’s state-run Irna news agency quoted the National Iranian Gas Company’s dispatching director, Mahdi Jamshidi Dana, as saying authorities suspected the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, attacked the pipeline.

Oil and gas pipelines from Iraq and Iran have been targets in the PKK’s long-running campaign for self-rule in south-east Turkey.

Irna said up to four days of repairs were needed after previous attacks before gas shipments could resume.