At least six people were killed and dozens injured after a fire broke out by the leakage of an oil pipeline in Beheira Province north of the capital Cairo, the Egyptian Ministry of Health said in a statement.
The ministry sent 20 ambulances to the scene and moved the wounded to nearby hospitals, according to the statement.
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Abdel-Moneim Hafez, head of the Petroleum Pipelines Company, said that the attempt to rob the pipeline took place in Itay el-Baroud in Beheira governorate.
“As a result of an unknown source of flame, there was a flare in the leaked product following the accident,” state news agency MENA quoted him as saying.
Technical teams had rushed to the scene after the attempted theft and controlled the leakage, Hafez said.
“The fire was completely contained and extinguished,” Secretary-General of Beheira Province Hazem al-Ashmouny told the Egyptian state TV, offering condolences to the families of the victims.
(With inputs from agency)