MASHHAD/TEHRAN – An explosion in a gas pipeline near the northeastern city of Mashhad on Friday killed 4 people and injured 16 others, Alireza Gharibi, director of the Iran Gas Engineering and Development Company, told the Mehr News Agency.

Last Wednesday protesters disrupted Shell's work as they moved one of their hideous drilling rigs into a shallow part of the SAC estuary, close to the Rossport solidarity camp. Protesters used kayaks to get to the rig which was flanked by fourteen boats of I-RMS security and Gardai.

Failures of pipes like the one in California blast have triggered action in other states

Natural gas mains made of steel, like the one that apparently failed in Thursday’s deadly California explosion, are considered especially susceptible to corrosion and leaking, leading regulators in some states to consider replacing them.

 

The above photograph is the source of the explosion that left a path of destruction in San Bruno.   A 30-inch PG&E gas line ruptured Thursday night, killing at least four people and injuring dozens more.  Four people were critically injured by the flames and face months of recover at a San Francisco burn unit.

A giant crater marks the spot where it all began.  Nearby, a huge pipe sits in the middle of the street as cadaver dogs search the rubble for more possible victims.