14 dead after gas pipeline blast rocks Indian village

A state-owned Gas Authority of India Limited pipeline exploded early Friday, killing at least 14 people and sparking a massive fire that destroyed homes and forced the evacuation of neighboring villages in the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, authorities said.

The blast sent flames shooting into the sky near Nagaram village, East Godavari district, and burned for three hours before being brought under control.

The company chairman BC Tripathi told the Press Trust of India that the fire occurred in an 18-inch (46cm) pipeline of the company near a refinery run by the state-owned Oil and Natural Gas Commission in Nagaram village.

"The reasons for the accident are not known yet. We are currently focused on rescue and relief operations," he said