12 die in Saudi factory fire

Riyadh: Twelve people were killed and 11 others were injured in a fire that broke out at a petrochemical factory in Saudi Arabia on Saturday, media reports said.

The spokesperson of the Royal Authority of Jubail district said the fire occurred at 11.40 a.m. during routine maintenance, Xinhua reported citing Saudi Press Agency.

The spokesperson attributed the deaths to suffocation because of smoke inhalation.

The Saudi civil defence personnel and fire fighters managed to extinguish the blaze after 10 minutes.