A village in southern Iran has been evacuated after a fire broke out at the Ahvaz-Omidieh oil pipeline in the vicinity of the village on Monday May 6.

The fire broke out while workers were doing some maintenance work on pipeline, Mehr news agency reported.

The fire started following a leakage after a loader blade pierced the line and it went out of control in less than an hour. It is not clear if the fire has been controlled in early evening local time.

The local governor of Omidieh, 125 km southeast of Ahvaz, told reporters that Salehabad village has been evacuated to prevent casualties. Ahvaz is the capital of Iran's oil-producing Khuzestan province.

A gas pipeline explosion on March 14 in the same area claimed 4 lives. The area also sustained heavy flooding in early April.

Although this was an accident, sabotage along the pipeline is not uncommon in this volatile area.