Underwater images have for the first time revealed the full extent of damage to the Nord Stream 1 pipeline from an explosion in late September. Videos published by the Expressen newspaper on Tuesday showed that at least 50 meters of the pipeline had been destroyed or buried under the sea. Footage filmed at a depth of 80 meters on Monday showed, among other things, large cracks and bent metal.
Trond Larsen, a drone pilot for Norwegian company Blueye Robotics, told Expressen that only “extreme force can bend such thick metal this way.” There was also “a very big impact on the sea floor” around the pipeline, added Larsen, who directed the underwater drone for the recordings.