<p>An oil pipeline rupture has caused thousands of cubic metres of crude oil to spill into the Arava desert in southern Israel near the border with Jordan, officials said today.<br /><br /></p>.<p>The incident took place just north of the Red Sea resort city of Eilat and 500 yards from the frontier.<br /><br />The spill was "a couple of kilometres long", according to an Israeli environment ministry spokeswoman who was unable to give more specific information.<br /><br />She said it was unclear whether there was any foul play and environmental authorities would open an investigation.<br /><br />"They have forces on the ground that prevented it from spreading to Jordan," she added.<br /><br />The leak involved a 152 pipeline carrying crude oil from the southern port city of Ashkelon on Israel's Mediterranean coast to Eilat.<br /><br />Ronen Moshe, spokesman for the Eilat Ashkelon Pipeline Company (EAPC), said the spill happened at 1845 GMT yesterday in a new section of the pipeline.<br /><br />"The leak has been stopped," he said, adding that the reason for the spill was under investigation.<br /><br />"There are dozens of people in the field taking care of the aftermath," he said, indicating there had been no impact on supply.<br /><br />According to the company's website, the EAPC was founded in 1968 and serves as a land bridge for transporting crude oil between the Red Sea and the Mediterranean.</p>
<p>An oil pipeline rupture has caused thousands of cubic metres of crude oil to spill into the Arava desert in southern Israel near the border with Jordan, officials said today.<br /><br /></p>.<p>The incident took place just north of the Red Sea resort city of Eilat and 500 yards from the frontier.<br /><br />The spill was "a couple of kilometres long", according to an Israeli environment ministry spokeswoman who was unable to give more specific information.<br /><br />She said it was unclear whether there was any foul play and environmental authorities would open an investigation.<br /><br />"They have forces on the ground that prevented it from spreading to Jordan," she added.<br /><br />The leak involved a 152 pipeline carrying crude oil from the southern port city of Ashkelon on Israel's Mediterranean coast to Eilat.<br /><br />Ronen Moshe, spokesman for the Eilat Ashkelon Pipeline Company (EAPC), said the spill happened at 1845 GMT yesterday in a new section of the pipeline.<br /><br />"The leak has been stopped," he said, adding that the reason for the spill was under investigation.<br /><br />"There are dozens of people in the field taking care of the aftermath," he said, indicating there had been no impact on supply.<br /><br />According to the company's website, the EAPC was founded in 1968 and serves as a land bridge for transporting crude oil between the Red Sea and the Mediterranean.</p>