Blast hits Tunisia oil pipeline, cause unknown

TUNIS, Oct 20 (Reuters) An explosion ripped through an oil pipeline in the northern Tunisian city of Bizerte today, causing a huge fire and prompting residents in at least one district to flee, residents and rescue service workers said.

Bizerte, a garrison town that houses Tunisia's only oil refinery, is located 70 km from Tunis.

''A huge explosion rocked the oil pipeline from the refinery to the port that feed ships docked there,'' Zouheir Khelifi, who resides in the Intilaka neighbourhood some 600 meters (yards) from the pipeline, told Reuters.

''More than 200 families from our neighborhood left home. We are still outside our homes. The explosion was huge,'' he added.

A rescue worker at the scene said: ''We are trying to control the fire''. But he gave no further details. Government officials were not immediately available.

Details on the explosion were sketchy. It was unclear whether anyone was injured, and it was not clear whether the explosion was an accident or the result of sabotage.

REUTERS BSP BS1811