Explosion rocks Omsk outskirts as gas pipeline ignites huge blaze
Firefighters and others are working at the scene (Illustrative photo: screenshot)
On Tuesday morning, November 18, a gas pipeline exploded in the suburbs of Omsk, Russia, triggering a large fire, according to Russian Telegram channels and a post by the regional governor, Vitaly Khotsenko.
Around 5 a.m., videos of the massive fire in the Omsk region began circulating on social media. Online communities reported that a gas pipeline had exploded.
The regional governor confirmed the incident, adding that it was preliminarily caused by a gas leak from the pipeline.
“In the area of the village of Rostovka in Omsk district, a fire broke out in a field. According to preliminary information, there are no casualties. One version suggests a gas leak from a pipeline,” Khotsenko wrote.
He added that emergency service specialists are working at the site, and law enforcement agencies are investigating the cause of the incident.
Meanwhile, SHOT reports that residents of Rostovka are complaining of a chemical smell in the air. According to the community page, 18 firefighters and 4 units of equipment are working at the site.
Update at 06:00
The governor added an update to his post, stating that the accident occurred on an underground section of the main branch pipeline.
Other incidents
On August 2, sources told RBC-Ukraine that the Central Asia–Center main gas pipeline failed in Russia’s Volgograd region. This occurred following explosions near the village of Dynamivske.
Additionally, on September 9, sources reported that a series of explosions in Penza disabled a main oil pipeline and a regional gas pipeline.
