A 50-meter section of the Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline was destroyed after explosions

A section of at least 50 meters of gas pipeline Nordstream 1 It was destroyed after the alleged sabotage that occurred at the end of September in the Baltic Sea, according to the first images released on Tuesday.

A video published by the Swedish newspaper Expressen shows a major hole in the gas pipeline, with pieces of metal destroyed by the explosion.

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Filmed on Monday at a depth of around 80 meters, the images from one of the four leak points reveal that more than 50 meters of the pipeline have been destroyed, according to Expressen.

“Only extreme force can twist such a thick metal.”, explains Trond Larsen, a drone pilot from the Norwegian agency Blue Eye Robotics in charge of driving the submersible device that filmed the images.

Also, around the gas pipeline, “You can see a big impact on the seabed”says the Swedish newspaper.

This handout photo taken on September 28, 2022 from a Swedish Coast Guard aircraft (Kustbevakningen) shows the release of gas emanating from a leak in the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, in the Swedish economic zone in the Baltic Sea. A leak has been detected in underwater gas pipelines connecting Russia to Europe, the Swedish Coast Guard said on September 29, 2022, after explosions were reported earlier this week on suspicion of sabotage. (Photo by Handout / SWEDISH COAST GUARD / AFP) (HANDOUT/)

The two gas pipelines, Nord Stream 1 and 2, were damaged by at least two explosions in the waters of the Baltic Sea that caused four leaks.

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After producing huge methane releases, they stopped and the latest leak is no longer visible on the surface since Friday, according to the Swedish coastguard.

The fourth leak is located in the northeast of the Danish island of Bornholm, above the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, the coastguard said in a statement.

On October 6, Swedish authorities announced that they had conducted an underwater survey of the site and collected “tests” confirming suspicions of possible sabotage, an idea confirmed by Denmark on Tuesday.

The Kremlin considers that the investigation is being “rigged” to blame Russia for the explosions.

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“From the statements we heard from Germany, France and Denmark, this investigation is being orchestrated to hold Russia accountable. It’s stupid”Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov complained on Tuesday.

The three countries are carrying out investigations at the national level and the option of launching international investigations as requested by Russia does not seem to be on the table.

The pipelines, operated by a consortium controlled by Russian giant Gazprom and running from Russia to Germany, are not operational due to the war in Ukraine, but were still full of gas when the explosions occurred. Its use has been at the center of geopolitical tensions between Moscow and the West.

Source: Elcomercio