Pipeline Fire at Iraq’s Zubair Oilfield Leaves Two Dead, Five Injured

A fire at Iraq’s Zubair oilfield killed two workers and injured five others, officials said. The blaze, caused by a gas leak during welding operations, was brought under control with no impact on crude pipeline throughput, which remains at 400,000 bpd.

(Reuters) - At least two workers were killed in an oil pipeline fire in Iraq's Zubair oilfield on Sunday, oilfield officials said. 

There was no impact on oil flows, they said, with throughput currently at 400,000 bpd.

The blaze, which also seriously wounded five workers, erupted while a group of workers were conducting welding operations near the pipeline, the officials said.

The fire broke out at a section of the pipeline that transports crude oil from the Zubair field to nearby storage tanks.

Firefighters worked for several hours to extinguish the blaze, which was fully brought under control by mid-afternoon, according to a statement from the Basra Oil Company (BOC).

The oil ministry said in a statement that the fire originated from a gas leak in an old pumping system at the Zubair oil storage depot, confirming that one BOC employee was killed and four others were wounded.

Some of the injured workers suffered severe burns and were in critical condition, officials said.