Tire explosion kills heavy equipment driver at oil field in Basra

BASRA — A man in his 30s working as a heavy equipment driver was killed Saturday while repairing a tire at a Chinese company operating in the Al-Ramli oil field in Al-Zubair, southwest of Basra governorate, a security source said.

The source told 964media that the victim “was carrying out maintenance on the tire when it suddenly exploded, leading to his immediate death at the scene.”

The source added that “the company’s emergency and safety teams intervened immediately after the incident, provided first aid and cleared the effects of the explosion,” noting that “the relevant authorities have launched an investigation to determine the exact causes of the incident and to ensure the application of occupational safety standards at the work site.”

The fatal incident follows a series of similar workplace accidents involving tire explosions in Iraq. In July 2025, a 27-year-old construction worker from Ranya was seriously injured at the Marina Corniche and housing project in Kalar after a loader tire exploded early in the morning before the workday began. Earlier cases proved fatal. On March 4, 2025, a man in his twenties was killed instantly in Basra’s Hamdan Industrial area when a truck tire exploded while he was inflating it at a repair shop, according to a security source. On Nov. 18, 2024, a young mechanic also died in Kalar after a truck tire burst during maintenance, hospital officials said.