Accident on Dagestan section of trunk natural gas pipeline

On Sunday night, an accident occurred on the Mozdok-Kazimagomed trunk natural gas pipeline. (The pipeline begins in North Ossetia, passes through Chechnya and Dagestan, an autonomous republic on the Caspian Sea, and ends in Azerbaijan.) There are signs of "outside actions," said Murad Abakarov, the chief engineer of Kaspiigazprom, a natural gas company in Dagestan.

However, law enforcement bodies must determine whether it was a subversive act or an act of terrorism.

On Monday, the natural gas company started repairing the pipeline. The work will be complete by Tuesday, and natural gas transit, which has been partially stopped, to Azerbaijan and to the capital of Dagestan, Makhachkala will be restored.

The damage to the pipeline did not cause a fire, but gas condensate, which is harmful to the environment, was ejected in the area around Novy Khushet, a village south of Makhachkala. Specialists from law enforcement bodies should assess the situation.

The accident took place at 9:55 p.m., Moscow time, several kilometers to the south-east from Makhachkala. The 1,200 millimeter pipeline broke at approximately the 600th kilometer of the pipeline, an above ground part of the pipeline which passes across a ravine, in the village of Uitash.