Indonesian pipeline blast kills 8, mud flow blamed

SIDOARJO, Indonesia (Reuters) – Indonesia blamed an uncontrolled mud flow on Thursday for a gas pipeline explosion that killed at least seven people and injured 12 on Java island.

The late Wednesday blast — which disrupted gas operations in the area — occurred near the city of Surabaya in a part of the state-owned Pertamina East Java Gas Pipeline.

The incident happened in the area where hot mud has been gushing from near the Banjar Panji exploratory gas well since the end of May following a drilling accident, inundating several villages and causing an unfolding environmental disaster.

“The explosion was caused by land subsidence, which had weakened a dam. It broke the transmission pipe which then made the pressure rise to 400 psi (pounds per square inch) and the gas automatically shut down while the remaining gas ignited,” Energy Minister Purnomo Yusgiantoro told reporters.

Reuters