Blast hits Egyptian gas pipeline to Israel

Cairo - An Egyptian gas pipeline supplying Israel and Jordan was rocked by an explosion early Thursday morning, a security source told Xinhua.

The blast occurred around 1:00 am (23:00 GMT Wednesday) in 45 km west of al-Arish, according to the source, who was in the northern Sinai peninsula town. There is another unexplained explosion near a pumping station in the same area.

The blasts took place in the Sahara desert region far from residential area, thus leaving no casualties, according to Xinhua correspondents there. Police have arrived at the scene and the nearby area was cordoned off.

The correspondents said before the blasts, witnesses had seen unidentified people arrived in two cars and planted the explosives.