Inquiry finds 250 metres of Nord Stream pipeline 'destroyed'

Two underwater explosions were recorded in September before leaks appeared from pipeline

Bubbling water above one of the gas leaks in the Baltic Sea on September 29. Armed Forces of Denmark / AP

An investigation into explosions at the end of September on the Nord Stream pipeline has found that a section of about 250 metres had been "destroyed".

"Craters with a depth of three to five metres were found on the seabed at a distance of about 248 metres from each other" along a Nord Stream 1 pipeline, the operator said.

"The section of the pipe between the craters is destroyed."

Four leaks emerged from the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines in the Baltic Sea off the coast of the Danish island of Bornholm at the end of September.

Seismology institutes reported that they had recorded two underwater explosions before the leaks appeared.

While the leaks were in international water, two of them were in the Danish exclusive economic zone and the others in Sweden's.

Swedish authorities announced in early October that they had conducted an underwater inspection of the site and that the results backed up suspicions of sabotage.

New underwater footage shows Nord Stream pipeline damage - video

The Nord Stream group, which operates the twin Nord Stream 1 pipelines, has launched its own investigation and said on Wednesday it would "continue to analyse" data gathered from the site.

The pipelines, which connect Russia to Germany, have been at the centre of tension as the Kremlin cut gas supplies to Europe in suspected retaliation to western sanctions imposed over Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.

Although they were not in operation when the leaks occurred, they still contained gas, which plumed up through the water and into the atmosphere.

Video shows Nord Stream gas leak bubbling in Baltic Sea - video