A powerful explosion at a gas facility in Qatar’s Ras Laffan Industrial City injured 54 people and left 18 others missing, authorities said Monday, as emergency crews continued search and rescue operations at one of the world’s most important energy hubs.
Qatar’s Ministry of Interior said the blast occurred Sunday in the Ras Laffan industrial zone and was caused by a technical malfunction. Officials did not immediately provide further details about the nature of the failure but described the incident as an internal explosion followed by a fire.
“Fifty-four people were injured in the incident that occurred at a factory in Ras Laffan Industrial City,” the ministry said in a statement posted on X, adding that authorities were continuing efforts to locate 18 missing individuals.
An AFP journalist positioned about 20 kilometers from the site reported seeing flames illuminating the night sky and large plumes of smoke rising from the industrial complex following the explosion.
The blast occurred in a region that serves as the center of Qatar’s liquefied natural gas industry. Ras Laffan is home to major LNG production and export facilities and is widely regarded as one of the most important energy complexes in the world.
State-owned QatarEnergy said the explosion took place during the restart of operations in Ras Laffan Industrial City and involved the Barzan local gas supply facility. The company said the incident triggered both an explosion and a subsequent fire at the site.
The accident comes months after Ras Laffan suffered significant damage during the conflict between the United States and Iran. Iranian attacks targeting Gulf energy infrastructure forced Qatar to suspend gas production earlier this year, disrupting operations at key facilities.
Qatar temporarily halted LNG production on March 2 after Iranian drone strikes hit critical infrastructure. Additional attacks on March 18 reportedly caused further damage, reducing LNG export capacity by an estimated 17%.
Industry assessments at the time suggested repairs to some of the affected infrastructure could take between three and five years, raising concerns about long-term impacts on global energy supplies.
Qatar remains one of the world’s leading exporters of liquefied natural gas alongside the United States, Australia and Russia. Any disruption to production or export facilities in Ras Laffan is closely monitored by energy markets because of its importance to global LNG trade.
Authorities have not indicated whether the latest explosion will affect production levels or export operations. Investigators are continuing to assess the extent of the damage while rescue teams search for those still unaccounted for.
The Ministry of Interior said emergency services remain deployed at the site and that further information will be released as the investigation progresses. No fatalities had been officially reported as of Monday, though the search for the missing was still ongoing.
