1 dead in Egypt gas pipeline explosion

CAIRO – Egypt’s Health Ministry says that one person was killed and 17 were injured when the driver of a vehicle used in sewage system maintenance in a Cairo suburb accidentally struck a main gas pipeline, causing an explosion.

Health Ministry spokesman Khaled Megahed said in a statement that seven of the victims were released after receiving first aid treatment while the rest remain hospitalized.

Interior Ministry spokesman Tarek Attiya said in a television interview that firefighters, with the help of military forces, continue attempts to subdue the fire that obstructed traffic in one side of Cairo’s major Ring Road freeway. He said the driver responsible for the accident has been taken into custody.