Missouri suffers natural gas pipeline rupture

An explosion and subsequent fire was visible for a number of miles after a natural gas pipeline ruptured in Missouri, US. The 30-inch pipeline ruptured on Thursday (December 28th) just before midnight local time. According to authorities no injuries as a result of the incident were reported.

The pipeline ruptured just outside of the town of Hughesville and while no one was hurt, the explosion resulted in several farm buildings catching fire and ultimately being destroyed. Homes close to the site of the incident were evacuated as a precaution, even though the rupture occurred in the middle of a field. 

In total less than a dozen residents live in reasonably close proximity to the site of the incident, according to the local sheriff's department. All of the evacuated parties were able to return to their properties within a few hours.

Fire crews worked for over two hours to put out the fire at the pipeline, which left a large crater in the middle of the field. Panhandle Energy, the operator of the pipeline, spokesperson, Vicki Anderson Granado, gas was rerouted from the damaged pipeline to other lines in the area in order to maintain the delivery schedule. This means that no one will be left without gas while works are on going to repair the damage.

Ms Granado also said that the company is working with local residents to ensure that anyone who was affected by the blast and subsequent fire are taken care of. The company is looking into the incident as well as state officials, who are working with the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), a division of the US Department of Transportation, to try and discover the cause of the rupture. It is not yet known how long the investigation will take.

According to Jeannie Shiffer, spokesperson for PHMSA, the damaged section of the pipeline is to be sent for analysis by an independent metallurgist in an attempt to ascertain whether a fault was responsible for the rupture. She said that this analysis would likely take a few weeks.