It can now be confirmed that there were explosions in Swedish waters that would have caused significant damage to the pipelines, the law enforcement agency and the Swedish Security Service said in Stockholm on Thursday.
A total of four leaks in two pipelines – two of them Swedish, two in the Danish sea – have released large amounts of gas without containment.
Swedish officials said it was a “serious incident”. Developments will continue to be closely monitored and everything will be done to ensure Sweden’s safety.
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Many states already consider pipelines vandalism. Seismic institutes in Scandinavia measured magnitudes of 2.3 and 2.1, which according to the organizations “could correspond to an explosive charge of several hundred kilograms”.
During the investigation at the crime scene, the parts were seized and they are now being further investigated, the public prosecutor announced. It remains to be seen whether the case will proceed later. The barriers around the spills have now been removed. For several days, the five-nautical-mile (nearly nine-kilometer) wide area was cordoned off for investigations into shipping and other activities. (SDA)
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