HYDERABAD, Oct 24: A 25-foot piece of a gas pipeline was damaged after the 16-inch-diameter pipe exploded in the Pir Abdul Nabi Sarhandi village near Oderolal on Sunday.

The explosion caused suspension of gas supply to the areas of Matiari and Oderolal.

A bomb disposal squad official, Ramzan Panwhar, who visited the site, told this correspondent that the pipeline exploded due to sudden increase in gas pressure.

He said there was no subversive act involved in the incident and the pipeline exploded because it was old.

Matiari TPO Sikandar Mangi said he had inspected the pipeline and surrounding areas along with SSGC experts and the Hyderabad DPO but no evidence could be found that it was an act of sabotage.

He said the gas pipeline had been laid between 1950s and 1960s and the possibility that it had outlived its age and the explosion was caused by gas pressure could not be ruled out.

It took the SSGC team about seven hours to repair the pipeline - Indus Left Bank Pipeline - and restore supply of gas to the affected areas.

The authorities had suspended the supply of gas during the repair work. There was no supply of gas to Oderolal, Matiari and their surrounding areas. Gas supply to Tando Adam, Khairpur and Sukkur was also affected.