ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - An explosion took place early Tuesday at an oil field in the Kurdistan Region’s Duhok province, causing no casualties, its operating US-based company said, with field staff reporting a drone strike.
“An explosion occurred earlier today at approximately 7:00 AM local time at one of its production facilities in the Sarsang field,” HKN Energy, the field’s majority shareholder, said in a statement.
No injuries were reported, according to HKN, but “the facility remains on fire, and emergency response teams are actively working to contain the situation.”
Prior to the statement, staff at the oil field told Rudaw that the facility was targeted by a drone strike, amid a spate of attacks against the Kurdistan Region.
An investigation into the incident has been launched, according to the statement, and “operations at the affected facility have been suspended until the site is secured and a full evaluation is completed.”
The Kurdistan Region’s natural resources ministry later confirmed that the attack caused no casualties, condemning the drone attacks as “acts of terrorism against the Kurdistan Region’s vital economic infrastructure.”
On Monday, two explosive-laden drones targeted the Khurmala oil field, southwest of Erbil, after another explosive-laden drone was intercepted near Erbil International Airport.
The drone attacks particularly intensified during and following the 12-day conflict between Israel and Iran that began on June 13 and ended with a US-brokered ceasefire.
No party has claimed responsibility for the attacks, but the Kurdistan Region’s interior ministry has accused the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) - allegations rejected by Baghdad as “unacceptable.”
HKN Energy holds a 62 percent stake in the Sarsang block and in May signed multibillion-dollar deals with the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) to develop the Miran Gas Field.
