At least 54 people were injured and 18 others remain missing after an explosion and fire struck a facility at Qatar’s Ras Laffan Industrial City, the country’s main liquefied natural gas (LNG) processing hub, authorities said on Sunday.According to QatarEnergy, the incident occurred during the start-up of operations at the Barzan local gas supply facility in Ras Laffan Industrial City on Sunday evening. The explosion triggered a fire, prompting the deployment of emergency response teams to the site.In a statement, QatarEnergy said the blaze had been brought under control, though it did not specify whether the facility had sustained any damage. The Barzan plant supplies natural gas to Qatar’s domestic market and forms part of the country’s broader energy infrastructure. Qatar’s ministry of interior said 54 people were injured in the incident, while another 18 people were reported missing. Authorities described the explosion as a “technical accident” and stressed that there was no leak posing a threat to public safety.The ministry added that the Qatari International Search and Rescue Group, working alongside civil defence teams, had launched search operations to locate the missing individuals.Emergency crews remained at the site through the night as rescue and recovery efforts continued. Officials have not yet released details about the identities or nationalities of those affected.A Reuters witness reported hearing a loud boom in Doha, located south of the Ras Laffan industrial complex, shortly after the explosion. Videos circulating on social media appeared to show a large fireball and smoke rising from the industrial area, although the footage could not be independently verified.Earlier, Qatar’s Ministry of Interior had confirmed that an explosion had occurred at a factory within Ras Laffan Industrial City and said civil defence teams had responded immediately to the scene. Initial statements indicated no injuries or hazardous leaks had been detected, but later updates revealed a significantly higher casualty toll.The cause of the technical accident remains under investigation. Authorities have yet to disclose whether operations at the wider Ras Laffan complex, one of the world’s largest LNG processing and export centres, have been affected by the incident.
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The explosion comes amid heightened regional tensions in the Gulf, although Qatari authorities have so far attributed the incident solely to a technical malfunction and have not indicated any external cause. Rescue efforts and assessments of the facility are continuing.
