14 Killed in Devastating Helicopter Crash

A helicopter crash in Saudi Arabia has killed all 14 people on board, according to the country’s state media.

The aircraft belonged to Aramco, Saudi Arabia’s national oil company, and went down in Ras Tanura, a city on the country’s eastern coast, at about 6 a.m. local time on Sunday, June 28, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

Officials confirmed that all 14 people on board were Saudi nationals.

Authorities are now working to determine what caused the deadly crash. Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Energy offered its “deepest condolences and sincere sympathies” to the families of those killed.

Local outlet the Saudi Gazette reported that one of the victims, Moath Al-Zahrani, had been set to get married just 50 days after the crash.

“He was one of the finest young men in the family,” his uncle, Samir Al-Bushairi, said in a tribute, according to the paper.

Ras Tanura is home to a major Aramco oil refinery, one of the largest in the Middle East. The site plays a key role in the country’s oil operations along the Arabian Gulf.

According to Reuters, Aramco had only resumed crude oil loading at Ras Tanura on Friday, June 26, after work had been halted for four months because of instability in the region.

The company restarted operations after the U.S. and Iran signed a memorandum of understanding earlier in June, with Iran agreeing to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, according to the Financial Times.

The crash comes after several recent high-profile helicopter tragedies around the world.

Earlier this month, American singer Oliver Tree was among six people killed in a crash involving two helicopters in Brazil on Sunday, June 14. Argentine YouTuber Gaspi was later identified as another victim.

In the U.S., a helicopter carrying newlyweds to their honeymoon also crashed just minutes after takeoff last month, killing the groom and injuring the bride.