A number of residents in and around Ras Tanura said an Aramco helicopter was seen exploding in mid-air, suggesting that it had been struck before crashing to the ground and killing all 14 people on board, all of whom were Aramco employees working at the offshore Rig field.
The incident occurred on Sunday morning while air defence systems were active across the region, as the headquarters of the US Fifth Fleet was reportedly coming under Iranian attack.
Ali Al Ahmed, director of the Institute for Gulf Affairs in Washington, said the helicopter had been shot down by US fire launched from the Fifth Air Defence Group base.
Although the helicopter was equipped with a flight recorder and its communications with air traffic control were recorded, the Saudi government has yet to announce the cause of the crash.
Workers at the Ras Tanura refinery said the incident was captured in full and in high definition by the advanced surveillance cameras installed throughout the refinery and its surrounding area. They added that the recordings were confiscated and backup copies stored in the control room were erased.