Fire at Saudi oil terminal kills four Sri Lankans

Four Asian workers died in a fire at Saudi Arabia's Ras Tanura oil terminal on the Gulf, though the blaze did not affect production or loading activities, state oil giant Saudi Aramco said Saturday. The fire at the North Product Terminal broke out on Thursday while maintenance work was under way and was brought under control within an hour, it said in a statement carried by the SPA news agency.

A committee has been set up to investigate the cause of the fire, which killed two Filipinos, an Indian and a Sri Lankan employed by a contractor, said Aramco, which runs the operations of the world's top oil producer. A Saudi employee of Aramco and 11 workers employed by a contractor were injured - six Indians, four Sri Lankans and a Bangladeshi.

"At no time during the incident were Saudi Aramco crude oil or product operations affected," the statement said. An Aramco source said the terminal is a production loading facility. AFP