Venezuela's government regarded the pipeline fire that occurred in the early hours of Sunday, a week before congressional elections, as a terrorist attack, Vice President Jose Vicente Rangel said.

"This is an act of violence. It is a criminal, unacceptable act," Rangel told state television channel Venezolana de Television on Sunday.

The Ule-Amuay pipeline, in the northwest of the Paraguana peninsula in western Venezuela, was attacked with explosives, Interior Minister Jesse Chacon said.

Investigators found remnants of explosives on the pipeline, said Chacon.

Nobody was hurt by the explosion and firefighters extinguished a fierce blaze caused by the blast.

The state-owned oil company Petroleos de Venezuela said in a statement on Sunday that despite the incident, the delivery of crude to the western Paraguana Refining Center (CRP) is guaranteed.

The CRP is on the Paraguana peninsula in Falcon state and is one of the world's largest refineries. Amuay, Cordon and Bajo Grande, the three CRP plants, have a capacity of 940,000 barrels a day.

Chacon said the attack was related to the congressional elections due on Sunday, from which most of the opposition has withdrawn.

"That is how those who withdraw from elections play... This explosion is an attack on democracy," Chacon said.

He said the act did not get in the way of the vote. "Venezuelans said 'no' to violence today."

The military said it was stepping up security to prevent any other sabotage at key oil installations in the country, the world's fifth largest oil exporter.

On Friday, the army arrested 11 people and seized 62 Molotov cocktails, which the military said could be used in demonstrations against Sunday's elections.

Venezuela is a founding member of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries. It produces 3.3 million barrels of crude each day and sells 1.5 million barrels a day to the United States.

Source: Xinhua