DUBAI (Reuters) - A gas condensate pipeline at a gas refinery in southwestern Iran exploded on Thursday after being hit by an excavator, but there were no casualties and the line was shut off, Iranian news agencies reported.

       "There were no casualties and rescue and operations forces are at the scene of the accident and have cut off the line," state broadcaster IRIB quoted the Parsian refinery's head as saying.

       The semi-official Fars news agency carried a similar report.

       It was not immediately clear if output was affected during a period of high demand for natural gas for heating.

       (Reporting by Dubai Newsroom; Editing by Kirsten Donovan)