Indians among 13 killed in Qatar gas plant explosion (Img-Internet)
Doha: At least 13 people, including Indian nationals, were killed and 66 others injured after a massive explosion ripped through Qatar’s Ras Laffan LNG complex on Sunday evening, officials confirmed on Monday.
The blast took place at the Barzan local gas supply facility in Ras Laffan Industrial City, Qatar’s key energy hub and one of the world’s most important LNG processing and export centres. According to QatarEnergy, the incident occurred during the start-up of operations and was followed by a fire. Emergency response teams were immediately deployed, and the blaze was later brought under control.
Qatar’s Energy Minister Saad Sherida al-Kaabi described the incident as an industrial accident and confirmed the death toll during a press briefing in Doha. He said the victims included Indian and Pakistani nationals. The injured workers are receiving medical treatment, while authorities continue to assess the full scale of the damage.
Officials have said that an investigation has been launched to determine the exact cause of the explosion. Initial statements from Qatari authorities described the incident as a technical accident. QatarEnergy has not yet disclosed detailed information about the extent of damage inside the facility.
The explosion occurred at a sensitive time for Qatar’s energy sector. Operations at Ras Laffan had earlier been affected amid regional tensions and disruptions linked to the Iran conflict. Workers were reportedly involved in the process of resuming operations when the explosion took place.
Despite the scale of the accident, Qatari authorities have stated that LNG export capabilities have not been affected and that there is no environmental risk from the incident.
Ras Laffan remains central to Qatar’s position as one of the world’s largest natural gas producers. The accident has raised fresh concerns over worker safety and the risks involved in restarting major energy infrastructure after prolonged disruption.
