TRIPOLI, Aug. 10 (Xinhua) -- Libya's National Oil Corporation (NOC) on Monday night said in a statement that a fuel tank at the Zawiya oil refinery in western Libya was directly targeted, causing a severe fire and the complete collapse of the tank.
The tank 402-T, operated by Brega Petroleum Marketing Company, a subsidiary of the NOC, contained about 4.5 million liters of gasoline, said the statement.
Firefighting and safety teams from the refinery, the marketing company and neighboring oil companies are working to contain the blaze and prevent it from spreading to other facilities and installations, it added.
The incident is the latest among a series of attacks targeting oil assets and facilities in the city of Zawiya, according to the statement.
Earlier in the day, local media said that an explosion was reported inside the fuel tank, sending flames and thick plumes of smoke into the sky, with initial reports suggesting that the tank was targeted by a suicide drone.
There were no immediate official reports on the cause of the explosion or any casualties resulting from it.
The Zawiya oil refinery, operated by the state-owned Zawiya Oil Refining Company under the NOC, is located in the city of Zawiya. It is one of Libya's major oil refining facilities. ■
