Fuel train explodes in Georgia, disrupting a vital oil trade route

Interior Ministry spokesman Shota Utiashvili said the blast hit near the end of the train and one third of its 30 tanker cars were on fire. Georgian Public Television showed the 20 others that were uncoupled to prevent the fire from spreading.

 

There were no casualties, Utiashvili said.Â

 

The blast came amid persistent tension in Georgia. Russia withdrew the bulk of its troops and tanks from the country Friday after a brief but intense war, but built up its forces in and around two separatist regions and retained positions deeper in the former Soviet republic.

  

The line runs through the capital Tbilisi before splitting in three and running to the Black Sea ports of Poti and Batumi and southwest to just short of the Turkish border.

 

It gives Georgia added strategic importance as the U.S. and European Union seek to decrease Russia’s dominance of oil and gas exports from the former Soviet Union.

 

Azeri officials said oil cargos were being held up at the border with Georgia following the explosion.

 

The explosion occurred near an abandoned Georgian military base. The blast hit the train about 10 kilometers (6 miles) west of Gori, which Russian forces had held until the pullback Friday, Utiashvili said.

 

He blamed the blast on the Russians. Georgian officials say Russian forces deliberately damaged infrastructure before the pullback to weaken Georgia, and accused the Russians of blowing up a train bridge last week.

 

"The railway is vital, not just for the Georgian economy but for the economies of neighboring countries," Georgian Prime Minister Lado Gurgenidze was quoted by Reuters as saying.

 

 

On Aug. 16, an explosion downed a bridge on the line further east near the town of Kaspi. Russia denied Georgian accusations that it was behind the attack. Oil exports were disrupted, but Azerbaijan said Georgia had offered a smaller, disused rail bridge for use until the damaged bridge was repaired.