“Obviously, there is some kind of destruction of the pipe, and what caused it - here, before the results of the study appear, at least some option cannot be ruled out,” he said.

Earlier, Nord Stream 2 AG reported an emergency on the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline.

The operator also reported a pressure drop in both Nord Stream lines.

Sources in the German newspaper Tagesspiegel cited targeted sabotage as the alleged cause of the incident.