Explosion in Turkey damages natural gas pipeline from Iran

An explosion in eastern Turkey Tuesday damaged a natural gas pipeline and halted gas flows from Iran, Turkey's state-run news agency reported. The explosion occurred in the town of Dogubayazit, near the Gurbulak border gate with Iran, Anadolu Agency reported.

Flames caused by the explosion could be seen from nearby villages before the fire was extinguished. The agency said the cause of the explosion was under investigation. Kurdish militants belonging to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, have attacked oil and gas pipelines from Iraq and Iran as part of their more than three-decade old campaign for self-rule in southeast Turkey.