14 Saudis Killed in Aramco Helicopter Crash

14 Saudi Nationals Killed in Aramco Helicopter Crash

WebDesk

29 June, 2026 06:22

14 Saudi Nationals Killed in Aramco Helicopter Crash

A helicopter belonging to Saudi Aramco company has crashed in Ras Tanura on the Persian Gulf in Qatif governorate located in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia.

All 14 people on the helicopter died, the Saudi state news agency reported on Sunday. The incident happened 6 a.m. local time (3 a.m. GMT).

The cause of the helicopter crash is yet unknown, and under investigation.

All the passengers and crew on board the chopper were said to be Saudi nationals.

The Saudi ministry of energy expressed its condolences to the families of those killed in the crash.

“The ministry of energy extends its deepest condolences and sincere sympathies to the families of the deceased … Indeed, we belong to Allah, and to Him we shall return,” the ministry said in a statement run by the Saudi Press Agency.

The largest oil refinery in the West Asia is located in Ras Tanura, about 20 kilometer north of the ancient city of Qatif.

Saudi Aramco had resumed work at the Ras Tanura terminal on the Persian Gulf on Friday, after pausing its operations for nearly four months.

Operations had been halted during this time due to the unwarranted US-Israeli war on Iran leading to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

The Islamic Republic’s armed forces had closed the Strait of Hormuz to enemies and their allies in retaliation for the unprovoked aggression, and then began asserting more control in reprisal for the US sustaining an illegal naval blockade of Iranian ports and vessels despite a standing ceasefire.

Following the recent Islamabad-brokered Tehran-Washington agreement in the framework of a Memorandum of Understanding, Iran agreed to make arrangements for the safe passage of commercial vessels, with no charge for 60 days only, from the Persian Gulf to the Sea of Oman, and vice versa.

However, following renewed attacks on Iranian territory, the Iranian armed forces launched fresh missile and drone strikes against multiple US targets across the region overnight on Saturday.