• Most Popular
  • Most Shared

Rocket attack sparks Baghdad refinery fire

Mon Dec 10, 2007 1:53am EST
(Adds quotes, details)

BAGHDAD, Dec 10 (Reuters) - A rocket attack sparked a big fire at a domestic oil refinery in southern Baghdad on Monday but the plant was still operating, Iraqi police and officials said.

Firemen were fighting the blaze, which broke out in a storage tank for refined crude at the Doura refinery, sending a large plume of smoke into the sky.

Police said the blaze was set off when a Katyusha rocket hit the facility at about 6.00 a.m. (0300 GMT). There were no reports of any casualties.

Rockets also hit the Karrada district in central Baghdad and the heavily fortified Green Zone, which houses the Iraqi parliament, the U.S. embassy and many government buildings, police said.

"It is believed a rocket landed on one of the storage tanks for refined crude in the Doura refinery," said Oil Ministry spokesman Assim Jihad.

He said the fire had been isolated and was under control.

"They will extinguish it within the next few hours," Jihad said.

The Doura refinery receives crude from Iraq's north and south to supply refined oil products to Baghdad. (Writing by Paul Tait, Editing by Dean Yates)





More from Reuters

Photo

GMAC to get $3.5 billion more in government aid

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - GMAC Financial Services is expected to get about $3.5 billion of additional U.S. government aid to help the troubled lender absorb mortgage losses, a financial industry source familiar with the matter said on Wednesday.

A sign informs passengers of a "High Risk of Terrorist Attack" at the departure security line at Reagan National Airport in Washington December 29, 2009.  REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque   (

Body scans are Obama's call

The Dutch are doing it. So what's taking the U.S. so long to make airport body scanners mandatory?  Full Article | Video 

People walk past a branch of Bank of America in New York's financial district April 28, 2009. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid

Move your money

Boycotting "too big to fail" banks is a great idea -- so long as investors remember that banks aren't the only ones responsible for the crisis.  Full Article