14 Killed As Aramco Helicopter Crashes In Saudi Arabia

At least 14 Saudi nationals have died after a helicopter operated by Saudi oil giant Aramco crashed on Sunday in the eastern part of Saudi Arabia.

According to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA), quoting an official from the Ministry of Energy, the helicopter went down in Ras Tanura, a major oil-producing city in the country’s Eastern Province.

“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, the world’s largest oil producer, operates one of the biggest corporate aviation fleets in the Middle East. The company reportedly has more than 60 aircraft, including helicopters that serve over 300 heliports across Saudi Arabia.

The crash comes at a time when Gulf countries are working to increase oil production following recent Iranian attacks and the temporary closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a critical route for global oil and gas exports.

Despite the heightened regional tensions, Saudi authorities did not indicate that the helicopter crash was linked to any hostile attack.

During the recent conflict in the Middle East, several energy facilities across the Gulf region came under attack from Iran.

Ras Tanura is home to one of the Middle East’s largest oil refineries, with a production capacity of approximately 550,000 barrels per day, making it a key component of Saudi Arabia’s energy infrastructure.

The facility has previously been targeted, including during an Iranian drone attack earlier in the conflict, which triggered a fire and forced parts of the refinery to shut down temporarily.

In April, Saudi Arabia disclosed that sustained attacks over several weeks had disrupted production at multiple strategic energy facilities, including refineries in Ras Tanura, Jubail, Yanbu, and Riyadh.

Saudi Arabia remains the world’s largest exporter of crude oil, producing slightly above 10 million barrels of oil per day.

Authorities are continuing investigations to establish the exact circumstances surrounding Sunday’s fatal helicopter crash.