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Gas Pipeline Burst, Catches Fire in Pakistan

SADIQABAD: A huge natural gas pipeline of almost 18-inch diameter burst and caught fire close to village Nanday Lal near Khaipur Daha area, 10 km from Uch Sharif, early today, Tuesday.

Administration has been able to control the flames which started at around 07:00 PST [02:00 GMT] due to reasons, still to be known. The blaze was visible even from a far off distance.

Gas Supply Suspended

Gas supply to the damaged pipe was stopped at A-5 compressor junction Khairpur Daha.

Sui Northern Gas Pipeline Ltd [SNGPL] sources say, three big underground pipelines pass through Nanday Lal, which feed the Punjab and Frontier regions.

Repair Work Set-Off

Work on the burst pipeline supplying gas to Multan area has been started on emergency basis by SNGPL teams so that supply may be restored at the earliest.

Policeman-on-duty in Uch Sharif told 'Pakistan Times' mid-day today, Tuesday that there was no sound or sign of explosion at the site, and that the underground pipeline probably burst following a leakage, and caught fire.

SNGPL sources said that the pipeline would be repaired and fully functional within 20 hours, while efforts were being made to contine gas supply to all the affected areas.

Austrian President fights for life after heart Attack

VIENNA (Austria): Austrian President Thomas Klestil was fighting for his life after suffering a heart attack, doctors said, three days before the end of his term.

“His life is in severe danger. ... We are very concerned but we remain hopeful,” Reinhard Krepler, the head of Vienna’s AKH hospital, told a press conference.

Krepler said the 71-year-old Klestil had suffered lung problems which caused a lack of oxygen and a brief cardiac arrest.

The president was revived by a bodyguard, who used a defibrillator to jolt his heart back into action after he collapsed as he prepared to leave home for his office early Monday, the Austrian news agency reported. He was then rushed to hospital by helicopter.

Krepler said “in the most optimistic case scenario” the president would be kept “in an artificial coma for at least 14 days” as part of efforts to save his life.

Klestil is due to stand down from the Austrian presidency on Thursday, handing over to socialist Heinz Fischer, who won a presidential election held in April last.

Israeli officer, four Palestinians Killed in Nablus

NABLUS (West Bank): An Israeli army officer and four Palestinians were killed during exchanges of fire early today, Tuesday around the Ain Beit Ilma refugee camp in the north West Bank town of Nablus, Israeli and Palestinian security sources said.

Plane Crashes in Java Island of Indonesia

JAKARTA (Indonesia): A small plane crashed today, Tuesday while attempting an emergency landing near a town in Indonesia's densely-populated East Java province but all four men on board were unhurt.

The trainer aircraft crashed in a field just east of Nganjuk, said local police officer Suyanto.

"We have been told that all four people who were on board were safe and we are awaiting further reports from the site," Officials said.

Meghna Waters Maroon Thousands in Bangladesh

DHAKA (Bangladesh): A rain-swollen river flooded dozens of villages in southern Bangladesh, washing away a mosque and three schools and leaving some 10,000 people marooned, officials said today, Tuesday.

River Meghna overflowed its banks Monday, inundating parts of Bhola, PatuaKhali and Borguna districts along the country's coastline, relief officials said.

Flood-stranded villagers had only small boats for transportation as flood waters submerged roads and damaged crops, said an official in Bhola, 105 kilometers (65 miles) south of the capital, Dhaka.

In neighboring Borguna, flood waters carried away three schools and a mosque, the official said on condition of anonymity.

Seasonal floods are common in Bangladesh, a tropical delta nation of 140 million people.