Xingtai gas leak a criminal case: police

Police in Xingtai, North China's Hebei province on Sunday called a natural gas pipeline leakage "a major criminal case" after preliminary investigation showed that the pipeline had been damaged by illegal sand mining activity.

According to the China Central Television, police received a report at around 2 am Sunday morning saying that a pipeline near the Beijing-Hong Kong-Macao Highway Bridge in Neiqiu county in Xingtai was left vandalized, leaking large amounts of natural gas.

Police immediately cordoned off the area and asked the Hebei Natural Gas Company to send over repair teams.

The leakage had caused natural gas supply to be cut off to people living in Xingtai and the neighboring city of Handan. The two cities have a combined population of over 16 million.

The pipeline was repaired and the natural gas supply gradually resumed on Sunday.

Local police said the source of leakage was illegal mining activity on the bank of the Zhihe River near the highway bridge. An investigation is underway.