Fourteen people were killed in a helicopter crash in Ras Tanura, a Saudi city west of the Strait of Hormuz. No person on board survived the crash on Sunday, according to the Saudi Ministry of Energy.
The incident occurred around 6am local time, and all of the people killed were Saudi nationals, the statement said. There was no further information about what caused the crash, and a probe has been launched.
The Saudi state news agency said: “Investigations are under way, with the participation of relevant authorities, to determine the causes of the helicopter crash.”
The helicopter belonged to Aramco, the world’s largest oil company, which is majority-owned by Saudi Arabia.
Aramco resumed crude oil loadings on Friday at its Ras Tanura terminal in the Gulf after they were halted for nearly four months due to the war in Iran.
The company said it successfully shifted some oil exports to a pipeline to avoid the Strait of Hormuz, which has been disrupted since March, when Tehran started a blockade – followed by a blockade enforced by the US.
This crash comes in light of several aircraft incidents reported in recent days.
In Devon, the pilot of a small plane died on Friday after it crashed on a farm near an airfield, emergency services confirmed.
Devon and Cornwall Police said the pilot, believed to be a woman in her 40s, was pronounced dead at the scene.
