Zawiya refinery fire rages on after drone strike on fuel tank
A fire at Libya's Zawiya oil refinery continues to burn after a drone strike ignited a fuel tank, prompting a state of maximum emergency.
Firefighting teams in the Libyan town of Zawiya were working through Tuesday to bring a stubborn blaze under control at a key oil facility, a day after a drone strike set a gasoline storage tank ablaze.
The attack, which occurred on Monday at the Zawiya refinery roughly 47 kilometres west of Tripoli, caused the tank to collapse, according to the state-run National Oil Corporation. The tank was holding about 4.5 million litres of fuel at the time of impact.
The fire persisted overnight and remained active into Tuesday afternoon, the Civil Defense agency reported. Health authorities confirmed there have been no casualties so far.
In response to the incident, the oil company declared a state of maximum emergency. Local media also reported that two additional drones targeted the town's power plant.
No group has yet claimed responsibility for the strikes, which are part of a recent pattern of drone attacks on oil infrastructure in Zawiya. The town hosts Libya's largest refinery, an export terminal, and a power plant.
The incident highlights the ongoing security vulnerabilities in the oil-rich nation, which has experienced instability and division since the 2011 uprising that ended with the ouster and killing of longtime ruler Moammar Gadhafi.