Death toll in pipeline explosion reaches 74 in southern Iraq

The death toll of a fuel pipeline explosion in southern Iraq city of Diwaniyah rose to 74, a local police source told Xinhua on Tuesday.

Another 94 people were injured when the fuel pipeline caught fire following an explosion in Diwaniyah city, some 170 km south of Baghdad, the source said on condition of anonymity.

Earlier on Tuesday morning, the source told Xinhua that at least 15 people were killed in the fire with dozens wounded.

The powerful explosion occurred late Monday night when many countrymen in Hamza town, 25 km west of Diwaniyah city, were siphoning fuel from the pipeline, the source said.

Several fire engines and dozens of firemen along with many ambulances could be seen in the area, but rescue efforts were hampered by a huge fire, the source added.

The pipeline, which used to carry petrol from southern Iraqi oil fields to the capital, has not been used since 2003 but still contain some fuel.

Also in Diwaniyah, the Iraqi army fiercely clashed with militants of Shiite radical leader Muqtada al-Sadr's Mahdi Army on Monday, leaving at least 34 people dead.

Source: Xinhua