At least 13 people, including 12 Indian nationals, were killed and 66 others injured after a powerful explosion ripped through Qatar‘s massive Ras Laffan Industrial City liquefied natural gas (LNG) complex on Sunday evening, while workers were attempting to restart operations disrupted earlier by Iranian missile attacks.
Qatari authorities described the blast as a “technical accident” at the Barzan gas supply facility, part of the country’s largest energy production hub and a critical centre for global LNG exports.
Blast occurred during restoration work after Iran attacks
The explosion reportedly took place as Qatar was working to restore gas production facilities that had suffered major damage during the recent Iran conflict, which disrupted energy supplies across the Gulf region.
According to Qatar’s Energy Ministry, 13 workers lost their lives while 66 others sustained injuries in the incident.
While officials did not reveal the nationalities of the victims initially, Qatar’s Energy Minister Saad al-Kaabi later confirmed that those killed included workers holding Indian and Pakistani nationalities.
Speaking to reporters, Kaabi said, “I find myself today having to do something I have always hoped will never happen, and that is to announce the tragic loss of 13 lives of our people who hold Indian and Pakistani nationalities.”
Indian Embassy expresses concern
The Embassy of India in Qatar said it was closely monitoring the situation after reports emerged that several people had been injured and some workers were still missing.
“Embassy of India, Doha expresses deep concern at the unfortunate incident that occurred at the Ras Laffan Industrial City yesterday, in which several people got injured and some are missing as per authorities,” the embassy said in a statement.
Explosion shakes Doha
The impact of the explosion was so intense that it reportedly rattled windows and was felt across central Doha, located over 70 kilometres away from the industrial complex, triggering panic among residents. Emergency response teams were immediately rushed to the site as authorities began rescue and recovery operations.
Critical hub for global LNG exports
Ras Laffan Industrial City serves as the backbone of Qatar’s natural gas industry and remains one of the world’s most important LNG export hubs, with an annual production capacity of 77 million metric tonnes. Earlier this year, the facility suffered major setbacks after Iranian missile strikes in March damaged two critical gas-processing units during the regional conflict.
The attack temporarily knocked out nearly 17% of Qatar’s LNG export capacity, significantly affecting global energy markets. State-owned QatarEnergy had earlier estimated that full repairs to damaged infrastructure could take three to five years.
Regional conflict had disrupted global energy supply
The Iran conflict had severely impacted energy operations across the Gulf, forcing the evacuation of nearly 10,000 workers from offshore platforms and onshore processing facilities linked to the Ras Laffan complex.
Qatar, which hosts one of the region’s largest US military bases, was repeatedly targeted by Iranian missile and drone strikes during the conflict. At one point during the war, nearly 20% of global LNG supplies passing through the Gulf were temporarily disrupted, raising fears of a major international energy crisis before exports gradually resumed.
Authorities are now investigating the exact cause of Sunday’s explosion while efforts continue to account for missing workers.