A huge blaze erupted at Libya’s Zawiya oil refinery after a drone strike hit a fuel tank on Monday evening, flooding the site with 4.5 million litres of petrol and nearly wiping out the largest operating refinery in the country.
The National Oil Corporation (NOC) warned that if drone attacks continue, it may have to suspend operations at the plant, which processes about 120,000 barrels of oil per day.
Emergency responders said there were no serious injuries, though several people were treated for smoke inhalation at the scene.
The NOC condemned the series of strikes on Zawiya – including two earlier drone attacks on a naphtha reservoir and a nearby desalination plant – and called for an investigation into who is behind the violence.
The incident highlights Libya’s ongoing division, with rival camps in the east and west battling for control despite the ousting of former leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.
