Alkhobar/Jeddah, Aug 30: A fire at the Aramco residential complex in Alkhobar early Sunday killed at least eleven people and injured more than 200, civil defense officials said.
Some of the injured were in “critical condition” and confined at nearby hospitals, the Civil Defense Department said. It said the casualties were from “various nationalities.”
Preliminary investigation showed that the fire started in the basement of one of the buildings at the Radium compound in the eastern city. The cause of the fire is still being looked into, said the Saudi Press Agency, quoting other officials.
Mohammed Siddique, an engineer who lives nearby, said he first saw smoke coming from the complex at around 6 a.m. “I saw at least 30 ambulances and three helicopters. The smoke was very heavy,” he said.
Siddique described the complex, which includes multiple buildings, as relatively new and “nicely built” with a mix of Western, Asian and Saudi residents. It is rented by Aramco and guarded by security teams affiliated with the company, he said.
Emergency crews struggled to contain the blaze.
Residents of nearby buildings were evacuated, with helicopters rescuing those fled to rooftops. By early afternoon, Civil Defense officials put the number of injured at 219.
Saudi Aramco, the world’s largest oil company in terms of crude production and exports, released a statement confirming the fire at the residential complex, adding that the incident was being investigated.
The company says it employs more than 61,000 workers worldwide from 77 countries.
Residents affected by the blaze were being moved to alternate accommodation. Aramco promised to use “all means and available resources” to help those affected.
Comments
Add new comment