 A suspected dynamite attack on a major Nigerian oil pipeline has killed eight people and cut output from the world's eighth largest exporter by 7%, authorities say. The sabotage by unidentified armed men on the pipeline operated by Royal Dutch Shell also caused a major oil spill and fire in the remote southern Niger Delta, the company said on Tuesday. "The attack was very devastating ... the whole community has been razed down by the explosion. Eight corpses have been recovered so far and many more are still missing," Monwan Etete, chairman of Andoni local government area, said in the Rivers state capital, Port Harcourt. Shell closed two oilfields to help curb the fire and said that 170,000 barrels per day (bpd) of oil output had been "deferred". The company originally said in a statement that only 170 bpd were affected. |