Explosion hits Egyptian gas pipeline in restive Sinai Peninsula

CAIRO – Egyptian gas company officials say an explosion has hit a natural gas pipeline in the restive Sinai Peninsula, an attack similar to militant strikes on pipelines that have proliferated in recent years.

In a report on official news agency MENA, officials from GASCO say Wednesday the pipeline did not sustain major damage because they were able to stop the flow of gas to and from the site after the late night bombing. The pipeline carries gas to an industrial area in Central Sinai and Jordan.

There have been scores of attacks on the pipeline since the 2011 uprising that toppled autocrat Hosni Mubarak and the security vacuum that ensued. A Sinai-based militant group, Ansar Beit al-Maqdis, has claimed responsibility for several such bombings.