The World - News from June 7, 1989

An explosion ruptured a Soviet gas pipeline near the border with Romania hours before a similar accident killed hundreds of people aboard two trains 1,300 miles to the east, a Soviet newspaper reported. The daily Sotsialisticheskaya Industria, quoting a railways ministry official, said a blast similar to the one that engulfed two trains in the Ural Mountains--leaving an estimated 462 people dead or missing--occurred Saturday in the republic of Moldavia. “The explosion occurred 500 yards from the rail line and interrupted traffic on the international line. This time, fortunately, there were no casualties.” It gave no further details.