Rebels blow up gas pipeline in southwest Pakistan

QUETTA, Pakistan (AFP) – Insurgents blew up a natural gas pipeline in the restive southwestern Pakistani province of Baluchistan, cutting supply to thousand of homes, police said.

There were no casualties when the pipeline, which supplied gas to suburban areas of Quetta, the capital of Baluchistan, was hit by explosives late Saturday, police official Mohammad Arif Shah told AFP on Sunday.

The blast was so loud that it panicked residents and started a huge blaze, he said, adding that repairs to the pipeline were underway.

The unrest in Baluchistan continues over the August 26 killing of rebel chieftain Nawab Akbar Bugti.

AFP