Maduro regime blames state-owned pipeline explosion on 'sabotage'

Nicolas Maduro’s regime blamed an explosion along a major gasoline pipeline on "criminal sabotage" on Wednesday, adding that the line would be repaired swiftly.

Officials in Venezuela's eastern Anzoategui state reported the blast late on Tuesday and state governor Luis Jose Marcano took to Twitter to claim that it was likely caused by “attempts to perforate the pipeline," Reuters reported. 

Venezuelan state oil company, PDVSA, said the pipeline distributes gasoline throughout Venezuela's eastern states and released a statement saying it had deployed all available teams to repair the pipeline in order to prevent any service disruptions.

There was no immediate confirmation of who was responsible for the blast or whether it caused casualties.

Union organizations and opposition leaders have, in recent years, reported frequent accidents and service disruptions at state-owned PDVSA facilities — although the Maduro regime is usually quick to link the failures to “terrorist attacks” or “sabotage.”  

The petroleum-rich South American nation’s oil production, which used to exceed three million barrels per day, has plummeted in recent years and Maduro has been vocal in blaming U.S. sanctions for the industry's failures.

Venezuela faces gasoline shortages following years of divestment in the countries refineries, which can process 1.3 million barrels a day but now operate at low capacity.