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29 March 2024

Saudi oil pipeline leak kills contractor

Published
By AFP

A contractor was killed and three other workers were injured in a pipeline leak in Saudi Arabia, state-owned oil giant Aramco said Sunday.

"Saudi Aramco regrets to inform the death of one contractor, and three other injuries involving one employee and two contractors," Aramco said in a statement.

Aramco tweeted that the leak occurred at the Abqaiq facility, located 60 kilometres (37 miles) southwest of the company's main Dhahran compound.

The two contractors have since been discharged from hospital.

Saudi Arabia is looking to diversify its oil-dependent economy.

The kingdom has announced budget cutbacks after its 2015 deficit snowballed to $97 billion (93 billion euros).

Aramco could be listed on the stock market in 2018, with an initial sale of a five percent stake expected to form the basis for the fund holding about $2 trillion in assets.

The firm will next year begin publishing quarterly results in a bid to attract potential investors, Aramco chief Amin Nasser has said.