(Reuters, 12.Jan.2022) — Venezuela’s state-owned oil company PDVSA on Wednesday blamed an explosion along a major gasoline pipeline on “criminal sabotage”, adding that the line would be repaired swiftly.
Authorities in Venezuela’s eastern Anzoategui state reported the blast late on Tuesday. It was presumably caused by “attempts to perforate the pipeline,” state governor Luis Jose Marcano said on Twitter.
PDVSA said the pipeline distributes gasoline throughout Venezuela’s eastern states, adding that it had deployed all available teams to repair the breach and prevent service disruptions.
There was no immediate confirmation of who was responsible for the blast or whether it caused casualties.
Venezuela faces gasoline shortages following years of divestment in the countries refineries, which can process 1.3 million barrels a day but operate at low capacity.
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Reporting by Deisu Buitrago and Vivian Sequera in Caracas Additional reporting by Mircely Guanipa in Maracay, Venezuela Writing by Oliver Griffin; editing by John Stonestreet
