The gas supply to about 10,000 households in Shanghai was suspended for eight hours after a gas pipeline was broken by a grab at a construction site yesterday.

 

No casualty has been reported, according to the municipal government.

 

The accident happened at around 8 AM at the crossing of the downtown Caoyang and Shunyi streets.

 

Workers said gas burst out after the grab broke a gas pipeline with a diameter of 300 millimeters. Though they tried to plug the crack with bricks and mud, the leak was out of control till rescuers from the municipal gas supply company arrived.

 

The company cut the gas supply later and firefighters sprayed water around the pipeline to dilute the gas to avoid explosion.

 

The pipeline was repaired at around 4 PM and the supply resumed two hours later, according to the gas supply company.

 

(Xinhua News Agency May 4, 2007)