At least 13 people have been killed and 66 others injured after an explosion at Qatar's largest liquified natural gas (LNG) facility in the Ras Laffan industrial zone on Sunday night, according to the interior ministry. The blast, described as a “technical accident,” rattled windows across Doha, more than 70 kilometers away, and turned the city's skyline orange.
Energy Minister Confirms Exports Unaffected
Qatar’s Energy Minister Saad Sherida al-Kaabi said the explosion would not affect the country’s exports, emphasizing “this was an accident and not sabotage or hostile in nature.” He added that the government is working to determine the cause of the blast, which occurred at the Barzan local gas supply facility. “Plant production was intentionally completely stopped since December 2025 due to urgent maintenance requirements, it was first restarted again only two days ago,” al-Kaabi stated, noting it would be difficult to determine when operations would resume.
Casualties and Investigation
The energy minister confirmed that all those killed were from India and Pakistan. The Embassy of India in Doha said it is in constant touch with Qatari authorities and will provide assistance to the families of the deceased and injured. In a post on X, the embassy expressed “deepest condolences to the families of those who have unfortunately passed away in the sad incident at Ras Laffan Industrial City last night.” An investigation into the cause of the accident has been launched.
Background and Previous Incidents
Ras Laffan Port is the largest artificial harbor in the world and hosts the world’s largest LNG export facility. It was targeted by Iranian strikes earlier this year. During the US-Israel war with Iran, the port suffered “extensive damage” from retaliatory strikes. QatarEnergy previously said repairs would reduce output by 12.8 million tons of LNG for three to five years. The blast on Sunday occurred as workers were restarting operations that had been halted since March.
Response and Safety Measures
QatarEnergy, the state-owned energy company, confirmed the explosion occurred at the Barzan local gas supply facility in the evening of Sunday, June 21. “Emergency response teams were deployed immediately to contain the fire, which is now under control,” the company said. Al-Kaabi added there were no environmental risks from the incident.
