At least 13 people have been killed and 66 others injured following a powerful explosion at Qatar’s largest gas processing facility in the Ras Laffan Industrial City, authorities confirmed on Monday.
The explosion occurred on Sunday night at the Barzan local gas supply facility, a key component of Qatar’s vast liquefied natural gas (LNG) infrastructure, sending flames into the sky and causing panic among residents across the country.
Qatar’s Interior Ministry described the incident as a “technical accident,” while Energy Minister Saad Sherida Al-Kaabiruled out any act of sabotage or hostile attack.
“This was an accident and not sabotage or hostile in nature,” Al-Kaabi said, adding that the government had launched an investigation to determine the exact cause of the explosion.
The blast was reportedly felt more than 70 kilometres away in central Doha, with residents describing windows rattling as the night sky turned orange from the fire.
Al-Kaabi said the incident would not affect Qatar’s energy exports despite occurring at one of the world’s most important LNG hubs. However, he noted that it remained unclear when normal operations would resume.
“Plant production was intentionally completely stopped since December 2025 due to urgent maintenance requirements; it was first restarted again only two days ago,” he said.
Authorities confirmed that all those killed were workers from India and Pakistan. Emergency response teams were immediately deployed to the site and succeeded in bringing the fire under control.
The Embassy of India in Doha expressed condolences to the families of the victims and said it was working closely with Qatari authorities to provide support to those affected.
“We convey our deepest condolences to the families of those who have unfortunately passed away in the sad incident at Ras Laffan Industrial City last night,” the embassy said in a statement posted on social media.
State-owned energy giant QatarEnergy confirmed that the explosion occurred during evening operations at the Barzan facility, where activities had recently resumed after months of shutdown and maintenance work.
The Ras Laffan Industrial City is home to the world’s largest LNG export facility and the largest artificial harbour globally, making it a critical hub for international energy supplies.
The facility had previously suffered damage during retaliatory strikes linked to the conflict involving Iran, the United States and Israel earlier this year, although officials stressed there was no indication that Sunday’s explosion was connected to any external attack.
Erizia Rubyjeana
