Investigation underway after two killed in Russia's Orenburg Oil pipeline fire

A fire at an oil pipeline in Russia's Orenburg region has claimed the lives of two people, according to a report from the TASS state news agency on Tuesday.

The regional prosecutor's office has initiated an investigation to determine the cause of the blaze, though details remain unclear.

Unofficial reports about the fire began circulating on Russian Telegram channels on Monday, but the incident was officially confirmed following the TASS announcement.

Previously, a Ukrainian drone hit a petrol depot on June 28 setting it on fire, a Russian regional governor said, adding that the strike took place hundreds of miles from the border.

Maxim Yegorov, governor of the Tambov region in central Russia, said the strike happened at 4:35 am (0135 GMT).

"A small fire broke out and it has been contained," he said on messaging app Telegram. "There are no victims".

Russia's defence ministry, meanwhile, said it had "intercepted" 25 Ukrainian drones overnight, without mentioning the Tambov region.

In the western Bryansk region, governor Alexander Bogomov said a drone had been downed but its debris "partially destroyed the roof of an administrative building".