A helicopter belonging to Saudi Arabia’s state-owned oil giant, Aramco, crashed on Sunday, killing all 14 people on board.
The Saudi Press Agency (SPA), quoting an official of the Ministry of Energy, said the aircraft went down in Ras Tanura, a major oil-producing area in the eastern part of the kingdom.
“The accident claimed the lives of all 14 passengers, all Saudi citizens,” the agency reported, adding that authorities have launched an investigation to determine the cause of the crash.
Aramco operates one of the largest corporate aviation fleets in the Middle East, with more than 60 aircraft, including helicopters serving over 300 heliports across Saudi Arabia.
The incident comes at a sensitive time for oil-producing Gulf countries, which have been increasing output following recent regional tensions, including Iranian attacks and disruptions linked to the temporary closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a key route for global oil and gas exports.
Saudi authorities, however, said there was no indication that the crash was linked to any hostile attack.
The development has drawn attention because Ras Tanura is home to one of the largest oil refineries in the Middle East, with a processing capacity of about 550,000 barrels of crude oil per day. The facility plays a strategic role in Saudi Arabia’s energy industry.
The refinery has previously come under attack. During the recent Middle East conflict, an Iranian drone strike reportedly triggered a fire at the facility and led to a partial shutdown of operations.
Saudi Arabia had earlier disclosed that a series of attacks disrupted production activities at several key energy installations, including facilities in Ras Tanura, Jubail, Yanbu and Riyadh.
The kingdom remains the world’s largest crude oil exporter, producing slightly above 10 million barrels of oil per day.
