Pipelayer Blast Injures 14

An explosion has struck an oil-industry vessel in the Caspian Sea, injuring 14 people, the ship's operator, Italian engineering firm Saipem, said on Thursday.

The ship, the Israfil Huseynov, was involved in maintenance work linked to the Shah Deniz II project, part of the Southern Gas Corridor pipeline stretching from Azerbaijan to Europe.

Saipem said seven of those injured in Wednesday night's explosion were being treated in intensive care for burns.

Reporting by Giulio Piovaccari