AN explosion at Qatar’s main liquefied natural gas (LNG) processing facility has killed 13 people and injured dozens.
Qatar’s Energy Minister, Saad al-Kaabi, said on Monday that the blast at the Ras Laffan LNG complex was due to a “technical malfunction”, and ruled out any “hostile” action. Qatar’s LNG exports would not be affected, he added.
Like its Gulf neighbours, Qatar has suffered Iranian missile and drone attacks during the United States and Israel’s war on Iran. The explosion came as workers were restarting operations at the giant gas complex, which an Iranian attack in March put on hold.
“This was an accident and not sabotage or hostile in nature … Plant production was intentionally completely stopped since December 2025 due to urgent maintenance requirements, it was first restarted again only two days ago,” al-Kaabi said.
He said the blast victims were all from India and Pakistan. The conditions of the injured have not been provided by officials.
The ministry of interior said there was no leakage that would pose a danger to public safety.
The plant’s operator, QatarEnergy, did not provide details on where the explosion was, nor the extent of the damage. Minister Al-Kaabi, who is also chief executive of the state company, said an investigation has been launched.
“This will not affect in any way our exports to the world,” he insisted.
QatarEnergy said emergency response teams were immediately deployed after the explosion at the Barzan gas facility and brought the fire under control.
Ras Laffan Industrial City, about 80km (50 miles) north of Doha, is home to the world’s largest LNG export complex, producing about one-fifth of global supply.
In March, the Qatari government announced that the industrial hub had sustained “significant damage” from Iranian missile and drone attacks.
