NATO oil pipeline pierced in eastern Turkey

ELAZIĞ

DHA Photo

A NATO oil pipeline crossing from eastern Turkey has been pierced by a bulldozer working on private land in the eastern province of Elazığ, resulting in the spillage of tens of thousands of liters of oil.

The pipeline was damaged by a construction vehicle in the area, where it crosses the village of Saraybahçe in the Kovancılar district of Elazığ.

The oil sprayed almost 50 meters high from the pipeline, according to the eyewitnesses.

Villagers reportedly rushed to the scene to capture some of the fuel that came out of the pipeline in plastic containers. An estimated 80,000 liters of oil was lost in the accident, some of which was taken by villagers. 

Gendarmerie forces were dispatched to the village to cut the flow.

The owner of the land where the incident occurred, Musa Demir, said he knew the pipeline crossed his land but did not know it was so close to ground level. 

“We did not intend to damage it. We would not have dug the earth if we had known it was so close to the surface,” Demir said.

An investigation has been launched into the incident.

The damaged line is reportedly carrying fuel from Elazığ’s Koçkale depot to the province of Muş.