Blackout in Syria after 'terrorist attack' on gas pipeline

Syria was plunged into darkness Sunday night after a gas pipeline explosion led to electricity blackouts in parts of the country, local media have reported.

Electricity Minister Mohammad Kharboutli confirmed that an explosion took place between Al-Dhumayr and Adra, in the Damascus area, and led to an "electricity blackout across Syria", state news said.

Video footage of the event showed a fireball erupting and a huge blaze, leading to gas supplies being cut to power stations.

Syrian Oil Minister Ali Ghanem visited the site of the blast and blamed "terrorist" groups for the explosion.

"After an assessment of the situation, it was determined that the explosion that took place on the gas pipeline between Adra and Al-Dumayr had been caused by a terrorist attack," he said.

He said engineers were working on the issue and power was returning to some areas.

Syrian rebels were accused of shelling a gas pipeline in the country's south in 2013, which also led to blackouts.

The Syrian regime have also accused "foreign entities" of sabotage, after underwater oil pipelines were cut.

— PM Breaking News (@PMBreakingNews) August 24, 2020" style="color:#fff;" class="twitter-post-link" target="_blank">Twitter Post Breaking: Syria state-run news agency says there is a ‘total blackout‘ in Syria after a gas pipeline explosion. Syria’s oil minister states that the explosion may be terror related. pic.twitter.com/Ae7A0w8Yhq — PM Breaking News (@PMBreakingNews) August 24, 2020