Saboteurs, using remote controlled explosive bombs, have blown up the gas pipeline between Egypt, Israel and Jordan on Thursday morning in Northern Sinai, forcing a shutdown in the flow of gas, Egyptian security sources said.
The blast, the sixth this year and the first since pumping was resumed on October 24, was near Mazar area, west of the town of Al-Arish.
The pipeline has been a target for attacks by anonymous saboteurs since the overthrow of President Hosni Mubarak in February after a popular uprising. The Egyptian government said this month it would tighten security measures along the pipeline by installing alarm devices and appointing security patrols from local Bedouin tribes.
Previous explosions have closed the pipeline, run by Gasco, Egypt's gas transport company - a subsidiary of the national gas company EGAS, for weeks.