A huge explosion and fire hit a major gas pipeline in northwest Russia early on Thursday but there were no reports of casualties and officials said gas exports were not affected.
"It is an explosion on a trunk gas pipeline under high pressure," said Valentin Sedorin, a spokesman for the Leningrad region around Russia's second city of St Petersburg.
Witnesses spoke of a massive explosion that shook buildings three miles from the epicenter and caused traffic jams as people jumped in cars and fled the area.
The head of the regional emergencies ministry department said he did not believe the blast was a terrorist incident. "I personally exclude a version that this was caused by an act of terror," Vladimir Kudryavtsev said.
"This will not affect supplies to Russian or foreign consumers of Russian natural gas in any way," Sergei Gustov, head of Gazprom's local subsidiary Peterburggaz told Reuters at the scene.
The main route for Russian gas to Europe, the Yamal-Europe pipeline, is well to the south of the site of the blast. But a pipeline shipping gas to Finland is near the area.
A Reuters reporter at the scene said the air was thick with smoke, making breathing difficult. He said roads were clogged with vehicles heading away from the fire, while hundreds of people were leaving the scene on foot.
The explosion happened at a point where the pipeline ran close to a power station on the northern outskirts of St Petersburg.
Force of blast
Emergency services officials said windows at the power station had been blown out by the force of the blast. It had destroyed a 50-meter long section of the 80-centimeter diameter pipeline, they said.
"I live five kilometers (from the power station). My house shook and the residents ran out onto the street," said Andrei Alyabev, a local spokesman for the Emergencies Ministry.
Local administration spokesman Sedorin said the incident had been contained. "We do not have any reports of any casualties. We are not ordering an evacuation of homes in the vicinity. There is no danger to peoples' lives," he said.
An eyewitness who gave her name as Lena said the blast happened at about 12.15 a.m. and was followed by a large fire. "I am about two kilometers away and I can see flames," she said.
Another eyewitness, local official Valery Garkavy, was several kilometers away at the time of the explosion.
"I heard a loud whistle, then a very loud rumbling and an explosion. It was so strong that everyone's car alarms went off ... people immediately started running out of their houses."
