A helicopter belonging to Saudi Arabian oil giant Aramco crashed in Ras Tanura on Sunday morning, killing 14 people, according to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA).
The crash occurred around 6 am in Ras Tanura, home to the largest refinery in the West Asian region, which is operated by Saudi Aramco. Authorities said all 14 victims were Saudi nationals.
The cause of the crash remains unknown, and an investigation has been launched to determine what led to the incident.
The Saudi Ministry of Energy expressed its condolences to the families of those who lost their lives.
"The Ministry of Energy extends its deepest condolences and sincere sympathies to the families of the deceased, praying that Almighty God grants them mercy and forgiveness and accepts them among the martyrs. Indeed, we belong to God, and to Him we shall return," the ministry said in a statement carried by SPA.
The crash comes just days after Aramco resumed crude oil loadings at itsRas Tanura export terminal on Friday. Operations at the terminal had been suspended for nearly four months. Saudi Arabia, the world's largest oil exporter, has recently increased oil and gas exports alongside other West Asian producers following an interim agreement aimed at halting the conflict between the United States and Iran.
Plane crash in France
In a separate incident, eleven people were killed after a civilian aircraft carrying a group of skydivers crashed in Tomblaine, near Nancy in northeastern France, on Sunday, according to Reuters.
The victims included five instructors, five students and the pilot, French newspaper Le Parisien reported. The deceased are believed to have been self-employed nurses from Nancy taking part in their first skydiving experience, according to Thierry Pechey, president of the Meurthe-et-Moselle branch of the Order of Independent Nurses.
Several relatives of the victims witnessed the crash after gathering to watch the group's introductory skydiving session. Authorities have set up medical and psychological support units for the victims' families.
The aircraft, operated by a local skydiving club, plunged vertically "without any known cause," Meurthe-et-Moselle Prefect Yves Séguy told Le Parisien. He said there was no indication the pilot attempted an emergency landing. The aircraft crashed near residential areas, but no one on the ground was injured.
French authorities have launched an investigation into the cause of the crash.
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