QUETTA, Feb 20: The supply of gas to four districts of Balochistan and a private power plant was disrupted on Tuesday as militants blew up a main pipeline in Akhtarabad, a suburb of Quetta.

According to police sources, militants planted a powerful explosive device beneath the pipeline near Killi Raisani of the Akhtarabad area and blew it up early Tuesday morning.

The pipeline caught fire after a powerful explosion that also rocked the vast area of the provincial capital. "It was an 18-inche diameter pipeline supplying gas to Mastung, Kalat, Ziarat and Pishin districts," sources said. They said that the supply of gas was suspended to these areas.

"Around 3 feet long portion of the pipeline blown up in the explosion," Nawaz Shiekh, General Manager of the Sui Southern Gas Company Limited (SSGCL) said, adding that the gas supply was also affected to a private power plant supplying electricity to Quetta.

Soon after the explosion, engineers and other staff of SSGC rushed to the site and cut off the gas supply in the affected pipeline from the main system.

Repairing of the pipeline was in progress and some time in the night the gas supply would be restored to the affected districts, Mr Nawaz.

He said that the gas supply was temporarily restored to Ziarat and some parts of Pishin from alternative arrangements. He said Mastung and Kalat were badly affected.