A powerful explosion ripped through a factory in Qatar’s Ras Laffan Industrial City, leaving at least 54 people injured and 18 others missing.
The blast occurred late on Sunday, June 21, in Ras Laffan, home to Qatar’s main liquefied natural gas (LNG) export terminal, located about 80 kilometres north of Doha.
In a statement, Qatar’s Interior Ministry said 54 people were injured, while rescue teams were searching for 18 others who remain missing. The ministry attributed the explosion to a “technical accident” and said there was no threat to public safety.
The Barzan gas facility has a production capacity of 1.4 billion cubic feet of gas per day (bcfd). It supplies pipeline gas to local industries and Qatar’s power generation sector, and also produces ethane, condensate, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), and sulfur for both domestic use and export.
Ras Laffan was targeted by Iran during the recent conflict and remained shut down for several weeks afterward. According to Qatari authorities, the explosion occurred as workers were attempting to restart operations at the Barzan gas plant.
