An explosion hit a gas pipeline, operated by the operator Amber Grid, which connects Lithuania and Latvia in the north of the country. The local operator himself announced it on its website: «Around 17:00 there was an explosion on the Amber Grid gas pipeline in the Pasvalys district. According to initial data, no one was injured,” reads the group’s note.
The Lithuanian broadcaster Lrt released images of the fire in the area, noting that, at the moment, no casualties have been reported. A police spokeswoman said the adjacent village of Valakėliai, with a population of around 250, had been evacuated. The pipeline carries gas to the northern part of Lithuania and Latvia.
The mayor of the Pasvalis district, Gintautas Gegužinskas, shared the images of the huge cloud that had risen on Facebook: «There are no residential buildings nearby – he reported -, but nobody knows at what distance it might be necessary to evacuate the residents ».