A massive explosion at Qatar’s main liquified natural gas (LNG) facility on Sunday night killed at least 13 people and injured 66 others, rattling windows and panicking residents more than 70km away in central Doha.
The blast struck the Barzan local gas supply facility in the Ras Laffan industrial zone, the world’s largest artificial harbour and LNG export site, as workers were restarting operations that had been halted since December 2025 for urgent maintenance. The plant had only been restarted two days before the accident, Qatar’s Energy Minister Saad Sherida al-Kaabi said.
“13 killed, 66 injured in Qatar gas plant blast; minister says exports unaffected, all victims from India and Pakistan.”
“This was an accident and not sabotage or hostile in nature,” al-Kaabi added, stressing that the country’s exports would not be affected. However, he said it would be difficult to determine when operations would resume. The minister confirmed that all those killed were from India and Pakistan.
The interior ministry described the incident as a “technical accident” that turned the Doha skyline orange. QatarEnergy, the state-owned energy company, said emergency response teams were deployed immediately and the fire was now under control. It added that there were no environmental risks.
An investigation has begun into the cause of the blast. The Embassy of India in Doha said it was in constant touch with Qatari authorities and would render all help to the families of those who lost their lives or were injured. “We convey our deepest condolences to the families of those who have unfortunately passed away in the sad incident,” the embassy posted on X.
The Ras Laffan Port had previously suffered extensive damage from retaliatory strikes during the US-Israel war with Iran, and was targeted by Iranian strikes earlier this year. Qatar had halted production in response to the conflict, pausing a fifth of the world’s LNG, with shipments only recently resuming. Sunday’s explosion occurred amid efforts to restart operations that were paused in March.