Saudi air defences intercepted a drone targeting a processing facility at the Shaybah oil field, while a contractor’s vehicle caught fire outside the facility’s perimeter.

RIYADH: Two expatriates were killed and two others injured in a drone attack targeting a Saudi Aramco facility at the Shaybah oil field in Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province on Wednesday morning, the Ministry of Energy said.

An official source at the ministry said Saudi air defences intercepted a drone attempting to strike one of the oil field’s processing facilities.

The attempted attack triggered a fire in a vehicle belonging to a contractor working at the oil field. The vehicle was outside the facility’s perimeter, and the incident did not affect operational activities, according to the ministry.

The two people killed were a Filipino national and a Nepali national. The injured included a Pakistani and an Indian national, the official source confirmed.

Relevant authorities responded immediately and took the necessary measures following the incident, the ministry said, without providing further details about the victims or the circumstances of the attack.

The Ministry of Energy expressed its condolences and sympathy to the families of those killed and wished the injured a speedy recovery.

The Shaybah oil field, operated by Saudi Aramco, is a major oil-producing facility in the kingdom’s Empty Quarter desert. The incident highlights the security risks facing energy infrastructure and personnel working at oil facilities in the region.

The ministry said the attack did not disrupt operations at the targeted facility.