Deadly blaze hits Aramco housing complex

30 August 2015

At least seven people killed by fire at Radium workers’ accommodation

At least seven people have been killed and over 200 were injured when a fire broke out at a residential complex used to house workers by state-owned oil company Saudi Aramco in Al-Khobar, according to reports.

The fire broke out at 5:45am in the basement of a tower in the Radium Residential Complex, where cars and furniture were set ablaze.

“Cars and furniture caught fire in the basement of one of the towers, heavy smoke billowed, obstructing rescue and firefighting operations,” Saudi Arabia’s Civil Defence Ministry tweeted.

“People were trapped on rooftops as helicopters attempted to control the fire. Some people were treated at the scene in an emergency command centre, while others were taken to local hospitals,” AP reported the oil company as saying.

The people caught in the blaze are reportedly of multiple nationalities. Aramco, like many companies in Saudi Arabia, uses large numbers of overseas migrant workers on their operations.

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