Sinai militants blow up Egyptian gas pipeline

CAIRO — Militants blew up a pipeline in Sinai late Tuesday that transports gas to Jordan, Egyptian security officials said, in the fourth such attack this year in the restive peninsula.

Militants planted explosives under the pipeline south of the city of Al-Arish in an area called Lehfen, they said.

The explosion sent thick flames of fire shooting into the sky, security officials said, adding that fire engines and ambulances had been rushed to the site.

There were no immediate reports of any casualties.

Since the 2011 ouster of president Hosni Mubarak, militants have regularly targeted pipelines in Sinai, repeatedly forcing a halt in gas supplies to Israel and Jordan.

An al-Qaeda-inspired group called Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis has claimed responsibility for most of the attacks.

The army has poured troops into the mountainous and underdeveloped region to combat the growing militancy.

AP contributed to this report.