13 Indians, Pakistanis killed after 'technical accident' at giant Qatar LNG site
- Last updated: June 22, 2026 | 18:34
Thirteen people were killed and dozens injured after an explosion at Qatar's massive Ras Laffan liquefied natural (LNG) gas complex which occurred as workers were restarting operations halted after an Iranian attack in March.
Qatar's Energy Minister Saad Sherida Al Kaabi said on Monday that 13 people had been killed and 66 injured in a gas plant explosion, but added that the accident will not affect exports.
"I find myself today having to do something I have always hoped will never happen, and that is to announce, the tragic loss of 13 lives of our people who hold Indian and Pakistani nationalities. 66 people have been reported injured and are receiving medical treatment, none of whom are in life-threatening condition," he told reporters during a press conference.
Kaabi said that the deadly gas plant explosion would not affect the country's exports. "This will not affect in any way our exports to the world," Kaabi told reporters, adding that "this was an accident and not sabotage or hostile in nature"
Authorities said a 'technical accident' occurred at the Barzan local gas supply facility on Sunday evening and that there was no threat to public safety.
Emergency response teams were deployed and the fire has since been brought under control.
QatarEnergy did not provide detail on where in the plant the explosion took place nor the extent of the damage but Kaabi, CEO of QatarEnergy and energy minister, said an investigation had started into the incident.
The blast rattled windows and was felt across central Doha, panicking residents more than 70 kilometres from Ras Laffan.
The Barzan plant had a capacity of almost 1.4 billion standard cubic feet of sales gas per day, which Qatar used primarily for local electricity generation and to power its crucial water desalination plants.
Qatar owns nearly all of the plant, with a small share also held by ExxonMobil. The oil company did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The facility is located in Ras Laffan Industrial City, QatarEnergy's primary site for LNG production and export with an annual production capacity of 77 million metric tonnes.
An Iranian missile attack in March struck two of its key gas-processing units, slashing about 17% of Qatar's LNG export capacity which QatarEnergy's CEO told Reuters would take three to five years to repair.
Agencies