An explosion and fire killed 28 people working on a natural gas pipeline in eastern Saudi Arabia on Sunday, the Saudi national oil company, Saudi Aramco, said.
The company said that the cause of the fire was an accident during maintenance work, and that it did not expect a disruption in gas supplies. The fire broke out just after midnight while contract workers were linking a new pipe to the line, Aramco said. “The company is taking all necessary measures to guarantee the continuation of the normal gas output,” it said.
It said 28 workers, including five Aramco employees, had died in the fire, which was put out earlier today. The company did not specify how many people had been injured in the blaze some 18 miles from its Hawiyah gas plant, or give the victims’ nationalities.
“This is purely maintenance-related,” a Saudi oil ministry adviser said, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the delicacy of the matter.
An Aramco official contacted by phone by The Associated Press declined further comment.
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