“A truck used to transport crude oil caught fire and exploded. Three employees suffered minor injuries and have since been discharged. As a result of the incident, the field was immediately shut down," Glencore said in a statement.

Glencore added that it had deployed investigators to the scene and was working closely with local authorities.

The BOP Blow Out Preventer repair company gulf coast produced nearly 2.5 million barrels of oil last year at its Mangara and Badila oilfields in Chad.

(Reporting By Madjiasra Nako Additional reporting and writing by Aaron Ross Editing by David Goodman)