17 Injured When Raging Pipeline Fire Erupts in Egypt

Seventeen people were injured Tuesday when the leaking Shuqair-Mostorod crude oil pipeline ignited next to a major highway in suburban Cairo, Egypt.

Drivers abandoned nearly two dozen vehicles to the flames spreading across the Cairo-Ismailia Road, local media report. Those motorists disregarded attempts to block the roadway when the leak was first discovered, authorities said.

Valves controlling the flow through the pipeline were closed to bring the flames under control, a press release by Egypt’s petroleum ministry states.

The pipeline stretches from Shuqair, a Red Sea oil port, to a Cairo refinery. No cause has been determined for the leak.