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Oil pipeline bursts in Karachi

KARACHI, Pakistan, Dec. 18 (UPI) -- A 500-mile oil pipeline burst during unscheduled repair work in a neighborhood of Karachi, Pakistan, sending a 10-inch-deep oil slick into nearby homes.

A pipeline owned by the Pak-Arab Refinery Co. burst open in the Korangi suburb of Karachi Wednesday when a team from the Sui Southern Gas Co. utility damaged the pipeline during repair work, the Pakistan Post said.

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Local officials said they were not notified of the repair work and called for an immediate investigation.

PARCO said it had shut off supplies through the pipeline. A 90-foot geyser erupted from the pipeline, sending a 10-inch-deep slick to around 1,000 homes in the area.

Korangi authorities blamed utility works for the event, and government officials in Islamabad said they may consider imposing fines on the utility company for the incident.

Karachi city officials sent a team to clean up the spill and announced a formal probe was under way. No injuries were reported from the spill.

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