At least 13 people have been killed and 66 others injured following a massive explosion at Qatar’s largest gas processing facility in the Ras Laffan Industrial City.
The blast occurred on Sunday evening at the Barzan local gas supply facility, a key component of Qatar’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) infrastructure. Authorities described the incident as a “technical accident,” with flames and thick smoke lighting up the night sky and turning parts of the skyline orange.
The explosion was powerful enough to rattle windows and be felt in central Doha, more than 70 kilometres from the industrial zone, causing panic among residents. Qatar’s Energy Minister, Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi, said preliminary findings indicate the incident was an accident and not the result of sabotage or any hostile action.
“This was an accident and not sabotage or hostile in nature,” he said, adding that the government is working to determine the exact cause of the explosion. According to Al-Kaabi, the victims who lost their lives were workers from India and Pakistan.
He also assured that there are no environmental risks associated with the incident. Emergency response teams were immediately deployed to the site and successfully brought the resulting fire under control. The minister explained that production at the facility had been intentionally halted since December 2025 for urgent maintenance work and had only resumed operations two days before the explosion occurred.
While Qatar’s LNG exports are not expected to be affected immediately, officials say it is still unclear when normal operations at the facility will resume. QatarEnergy, the country’s state-owned energy company, confirmed the explosion and said investigations are underway.
The incident comes months after Ras Laffan Port, home to the world’s largest LNG export facility and the largest artificial harbour globally, suffered damage during regional hostilities involving Iran. QatarEnergy estimates that repairs linked to previous damage at the facility could reduce LNG output by approximately 12.8 million tonnes over the next three to five years.
Authorities have launched a full investigation into the latest explosion as efforts continue to assess the extent of the damage and support those affected.
