Authorities in Qatar investigate the cause of an explosion at the Ras Laffan industrial city after a blast at the Barzan gas facility.
Energy minister Saad al-Kaabi said the incident was an accident and not sabotage or hostile in nature, and he confirmed the death of 13 people, including Indian and Pakistani nationals.
Officials reported 66 injured and said none were life-threatening, with victims from multiple nationalities including Qatar, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Kenya, Ghana, Tanzania, Nigeria and Nepal.
India’s embassy in Qatar confirmed that 12 Indian nationals died and said it is coordinating with authorities to repatriate the bodies and assist families.
Pakistan’s embassy expressed grief and said it remains available to assist Pakistani nationals and families while coordinating with Qatari authorities and providing emergency contact support.
Firefighters controlled the blaze at the LNG hub after the explosion while authorities continued investigation and reviewed operations at the maintenance-restarted Barzan facility.
Officials said the incident occurred during start-up operations at Barzan after maintenance shutdown, and they linked the facility to Qatar’s major LNG production network at Ras Laffan which supplies global markets and has faced disruptions during regional tensions involving the Strait of Hormuz. Authorities also noted earlier damage from regional conflict had already reduced output and forced evacuations of offshore and onshore workers while restart procedures require careful sequencing due to LNG processing risks. QatarEnergy said it resumed operations only two days before the blast and continues to assess damage while ensuring safety protocols across the facility as investigators work to determine whether technical failure caused the explosion at the gas supply unit. Emergency teams restored control and monitoring continues across industrial zones to prevent further incidents in future operations.
