According to Syria's oil minister Ali Ghanem, cited by the Ikhbariya broadcaster, one worker was killed and an engineer was injured in the refinery during maintenance operations. The explosion reportedly occurred during the welding of one of the oil tanks.
According to earlier media reports, several people were injured after an explosion in one of the largest oil refineries in Syria.
Earlier this year, several submerged pipelines were damaged in a purported act of underwater sabotage near the coastal town of Banias.
Before the 2011 eruption of a civil war, Syria reportedly produced some 350,000 barrels of crude per day, exporting over half. According to Syrian officials, cited by media, the current daily output has tumbled to just 24,000 barrels a day, mostly due to the ongoing civil war and Western sanctions against Damascus.
