Apache Corp Worker Killed in Egypt

An American employee of Texas-based energy company Apache Corp was killed last week in an apparent carjacking in the western Egyptian desert, officials said Sunday.

“The victim was a long-time employee who works with production operations and we are deeply saddened by his death,” Apache spokesman Bill Mintz said. “Apache is working with authorities and a full investigation is underway.”

He said the attack occurred Wednesday as the employee was driving in the desert between Qarun and Karama, southwest of Cairo.

Egyptian security officials, who asked for anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media, said Sunday that investigations were ongoing to determine who was behind the death of the man. The American had been killed by gunfire, they said.

The victim’s name was not immediately released.

“My understanding is we’re still notifying family members,” Mintz said.

On Friday, security officials in Egypt said the Apache worker’s body was found in a car on a road outside Cairo with another foreigner who had been working with the Egyptian government-owned company Qarun Petroleum.

The second person’s citizenship was not immediately disclosed.

Mintz said he was receiving conflicting information on whether the Apache worker was alone or accompanied by someone else but said the Apache employee was the only person shot. He wasn’t aware of similar recent violence involving Apache workers.

The Houston firm has been active in Egypt since 1994, has a large oil and gas operation in Egypt’s western desert. It is one of the largest energy companies working in the nation, producing 198,000 barrels of oil and 912 million cubic feet of natural gas per day last year. Its holdings in Egypt cover nearly 10 million acres.

Foreign oil and gas companies work there under production sharing contracts with the Egyptian government.

Source: The Associated Press