At least 11 people were killed and more than 70 others were injured on Friday when a fuel pipeline exploded in central Colombia, authorities said.
The explosion, which took place around 4:30am in city of Dosquebradas, in the province of Risaralda, located about 100 miles southwest of the capital of Bogota, also destroyed 10 homes and damaged 120 others.
Firefighters at the scene said more bodies might be found as they searched through the debris.
While the official cause for the pipeline blast is still being investigated, Col. Gonzalo Londono, a police commander, told CNN affiliate Caracol TV that authorities suspect fuel thieves are to blame.
“Unscrupulous people tried to drill into the pipeline to rob gasoline,” Gonzalo is quoted by CNN as saying. “What followed was a blast and fire whose affects will be felt for years to come.”
The enormous fuel pipeline, which carries gasoline and diesel, is operated by Colombia’s state-owned company Ecopetrol.
Following the tragic incident, Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos expressed his condolences to the families of the victims through his Twitter account and said that Ecopetrol will cover the medical expenses for those injured.
Santos also assured local residents that health officials would take soil and water samples from the area to test the blast’s environmental impact.
Below is a brief news clip on the Colombia fuel pipeline explosion:
via Fox News
