KIEV A pipeline carrying much of the gas exported by Russia to Europe was shut down yesterday after a 30-metre (100ft) section in Ukraine was destroyed in an explosion.

Gazprom, the Russian state gas monopoly, said that the explosion caused no disruption to supplies because a bypass pipeline had come into operation.

A spokesman said: “Gazprom is fully complying with its obligations on supplies of natural gas to European consumers via Ukraine.”

The incident happened on the Urengoi-Uzhgorod trunk line from Siberia to Europe near the village of Luka, in Ukraine. Fire services put out the blaze.

The damaged pipeline has the capacity to deliver about a third of Europe’s supply through Ukraine to Slovakia, Germany, Poland, Czech Republic, Hungary and Romania.

Investigators are working to establish what caused the blast, which hurled debris up to 150 metres.

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