A huge fire broke out in an oil storage tank in Iraq's southern province of Basra, Iraqi official television reported on Sunday.

Intense flames and thick column of black smoke rose above al- She'aiba area in southwestern the city of Basra, some 550 km south of Baghdad, the state-run channel of Iraqia said.

The channel did not give further details about the reason behind the incident, but said it did not affect oil pumping for exports in southern the country.

Iraq's oil installations have been frequently attacked and sabotaged by insurgents since the U.S.-led invasion in 2003.