A powerful explosion has rocked a factory in Qatar’s Ras Laffan Industrial City, injuring at least 54 people and leaving 18 others unaccounted for.
The incident occurred late on Sunday, June 21, in Ras Laffan, the country’s main natural gas export hub located about 80 kilometres north of Doha.
In a statement, Qatar’s Interior Ministry confirmed that 54 people were injured while rescue operations were ongoing to locate 18 missing workers. Authorities described the blast as a “technical accident” and reassured the public that there was no ongoing threat to safety.
The explosion reportedly took place at the Barzan gas facility, which has a production capacity of about 1.4 billion cubic feet per day and supplies gas to local industries and Qatar’s power sector. The plant also produces ethane, condensate, liquefied petroleum gas and sulphur for both domestic use and export.
Officials said the incident happened as workers were attempting to restart operations at the facility. Ras Laffan had previously been impacted during regional tensions and was shut down for several weeks before partial resumption of activity.
