A Saudi Aramco helicopter crashed near the Ras Tanura oil complex on Saudi Arabia's eastern Gulf coast early Sunday, killing everyone on board, the kingdom's energy ministry said.
All 14 killed
The helicopter went down at around 6 a.m. local time on June 28, and all 14 people aboard were killed, all of them Saudi nationals, Al Jazeera reported, citing the Ministry of Energy. The ministry, in a statement carried by the official Saudi Press Agency, confirmed the deaths and extended condolences to the victims' families.
Authorities did not disclose the victims' roles or the type of helicopter involved, and said the cause of the crash was under investigation. No findings have been released, and officials did not speculate on what brought the aircraft down.
A major oil hub
Ras Tanura, in Saudi Arabia's Eastern Province, is home to one of the largest crude oil export terminals and refineries in the world, all operated by the state energy giant Saudi Aramco. The facility is a critical node in global energy markets.
The crash came at a sensitive moment for the complex. Aramco had resumed crude oil loading at Ras Tanura only two days earlier, on Friday, following a halt of nearly four months, Bloomberg reported. The disruption had coincided with weeks of heightened tension and shipping disruptions in the Gulf tied to the broader U.S.-Iran confrontation. Officials have not linked the crash to those events, and there is no indication the two are connected.
Condolences across the region
Governments around the Gulf and beyond offered condolences. The United Arab Emirates expressed solidarity with Saudi Arabia, and officials in other regional capitals issued statements of sympathy for the families of the dead.
Aviation authorities and Aramco are expected to release more details as the investigation proceeds. No timeline has been set for the findings.
