Four oil reservoirs hit in Latvia drone incident

Four oil storage tanks were damaged in Latvia following a drone-related incident early Thursday morning, although officials confirmed that none of the tanks contained petroleum products at the time.

Citing Latvian emergency services, Delfi reported that the damage occurred at an oil depot located on Komunala Street.

According to the State Fire and Rescue Service of Latvia, multiple calls were received at approximately 3:30 a.m. local time reporting a possible fire at the site. Emergency crews arriving at the scene determined that the tanks had sustained damage as a result of external impact.

One of the tanks showed a smouldering section of cladding covering an area of about 30 square meters, which firefighters quickly extinguished. A subsequent inspection using thermal imaging equipment detected no elevated temperatures inside the tanks.

The State Police of Latvia confirmed that possible drone debris had been found on the territory of the oil storage facility. A criminal case has been launched under charges related to “crimes against the state,” and the area has been cordoned off as the investigation continues.

Emergency response efforts involved firefighters operating six units of equipment, along with police and personnel from the National Armed Forces of Latvia.

The incident follows earlier reports from Latvian authorities that unidentified drones had violated the country’s airspace, reportedly entering from the direction of Russia.

By Tamilla Hasanova