Three injured in gas pipeline explosion amid extreme weather

(ANSA) - Pineto, March 6 - At least three people were injured on Friday when extreme weather led to three explosions at a methane gas pipeline in the central Italian town of Pineto, causing a huge blaze. Three people are being treated in hospital, ANSA sources said, two with non-serious injuries and one with more significant wounds. Three houses were hit by the explosions - the nearest of which was in construction. The situation has been brought under control by the shutting down of supplies along the pipeline. As a result the Abruzzo town of Atri is without gas. Strong winds reportedly caused the pipeline to give and the escaping gas then blew up when it came into contact with an electric cable that had broken away from a power pylon. The current wave of bad weather killed three people in separate incidents in different parts of Italy on Thursday.