A major oil facility in Bahrain came under attack on Sunday, with dramatic visuals circulating online showing a massive fire tearing through a storage tank at one of the country’s key refineries.
Fresh aerial strike hits Bahrain refinery on Sunday. Photo shows smoke ollowing a strike on the Bapco Oil Refinery, amid the US-Israeli war with Iran, on Sitra Island Bahrain, March 9, 2026. (REUTERS)
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Several purported videos from the incident surfaced on social media. One clip, shared by Iranian state media, appears to show the exact moment of the strike. Track US-Iran war live updates.
In the footage, an aerial object can be seen descending rapidly before impact. Within seconds, a massive fireball erupts, engulfing part of the refinery’s storage infrastructure.
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Another video, shared by RT News, shows thick black smoke billowing into the sky as flames rage in the background, indicating the scale of the blaze. HT could not independently verify the authenticity of the videos.
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Another video, shared by RT News, shows thick black smoke billowing into the sky as flames rage in the background, indicating the scale of the blaze. HT could not independently verify the authenticity of the videos.
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Tank fire reported, no injuries, says company
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In an official statement, Bapco Energies confirmed that one of its storage tanks caught fire following what it said was an Iranian attack.
The company said emergency response teams acted swiftly. “The fire has been extinguished and damage is being assessed,” the statement noted, adding that there were no injuries reported, reported news agency Reuters.
It also said response teams worked “in close coordination with authorities” to bring the situation under control.
Strategic facility hit amid rising tensions
The refinery, operated by Bapco Energies, is a cornerstone of Bahrain’s economy, with a processing capacity of around 400,000 barrels per day.
This is not the first such incident. The facility was previously targeted last month, when operations were impacted and force majeure was declared.
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The development comes amid heightened regional tensions in the Middle East after US-Israeli strikes killing Iran Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei sparked hostilities.
Priyanshu Priya is a journalist with nearly three years of newsroom experience, driven by a deep belief that stories, when told right, can shape conversations and hold power to account. Currently working as a Senior Content Producer with Hindustan Times, she writes on a wide spectrum of issues, from Indian politics and Delhi’s public concerns to global trade tensions and high-stakes crime stories. Priya joined HT at a pivotal moment, as Operation Sindoor was unfolding, and has since covered some of the most defining developments in recent times. Her reporting spans the Air India plane crash and the Pahalgam terror attack to India–US trade tensions, unrest in the Middle East, and key Assembly elections across states. She thrives in the fast-paced world of breaking news. In 2025–26, she was recognised with the Hindustan Times Digi Journo of the Q3 Award for driving over 4 million page views in a single month. A postgraduate in English Journalism from the Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC) and a Mass Communication graduate from Patna Women’s College, Priya began her news career with the Zee News English team, where she extensively covered the Lok Sabha Election 2024, along with the Delhi and Maharashtra Assembly elections. When she’s not tracking or writing the next big development, she unwinds by watching series and films, reading books with strong female protagonists, and revisiting comfort shows for the familiar ease they bring when life feels a little too jittery.
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Home/World News/Video captures moment Bahrain's Bapco refinery's storage tank explodes into flames, massive fireball seen | Watch
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