Syrian Oil Refinery Shut Down After Earthquake Damage
DAMASCUS, Syria (North Press) – The Syrian Oil Ministry announced on Monday that the Baniyas oil refinery was shut down due to damage sustained after an earthquake hit Syria at dawn.
The Ministry stated on Facebook that the earthquake caused cracks in the power unit chimney, the fall of the brick lining of the ovens, oil leakage from the flanges, and cracks in buildings, which made a shutdown necessary.
The earthquake caused damage and cracks to the buildings of the Syrian Petroleum Company in Baniyas, as well as to residential houses, according to the ministry.
Syria was hit by an earthquake at 4.17 am today. Its epicenter was near Gaziantep, in Turkey’s south, where it recorded a magnitude of 7.8.
An aftershock was recorded at 13.24 pm today, which led to the collapse of a residential building in Al-A’zamiyah neighborhood in Aleppo and another one in the Jindires district of Afrin, northwest Syria.
The Syrian Petroleum Company noted that the gas spherical tanks in Aleppo also sustained damage by the 7.8 magnitude earthquake.