Major fire on gas pipeline near Novy Urengoy as flames shoot 20 metres into the air

Pictures and video of the fire at 6am local time were uploaded on social media by local residents. The pipe belongs to Gazprom subsidiary, 'Gazprom Dobycha Urengoy'.

A gas value was switched off, which immediately stopped the fire. Checks are underway to establish the cause of the blaze.

Firefighters were on the scene within 30 minutes, but there was initial uncertainty as to who owned the pipeline. Repair work at the site is expected to take two days.