Major blast at Qatar LNG facility injures 54; search underway for 18 missing

An explosion triggered by a technical malfunction at a factory in Qatar’s Ras Laffan industrial zone injured 54 people and left 18 missing, according to the country’s interior ministry. The ministry stated on Monday (June 22) that the "internal explosion" and subsequent fire occurred on Sunday during the start-up of operations at the Barzan local gas supply facility. State-owned firm QatarEnergy confirmed the location of the blast within Ras Laffan Industrial City, while authorities launched a search for the missing individuals. The force of the incident was visible from a distance, with an AFP journalist located 20 kilometers (12 miles) away reporting flames illuminating the night sky and a plume of smoke rising from the area.

"A total of 54 people were injured in the incident that occurred at a factory in the Ras Laffan Industrial City", the ministry posted on X on Monday, adding that authorities were searching for 18 missing people.

Ras Laffan houses the world's largest liquefied natural gas (LNG) hub, but the zone had already suffered severe damage prior to this incident due to the US-Iran war. Iranian strikes had previously targeted Gulf energy infrastructure, which forced Qatar—one of the world's leading LNG producers alongside the United States, Australia, and Russia—to entirely halt its gas production on March 2 following drone strikes on key facilities.

The latest accident compounds the existing destruction from previous attacks on March 18. At that time, Qatar's Energy Minister, Saad Al-Kaabi, stated that the resulting damage was expected to cut the nation's LNG export capacity by 17 per cent and would require three to five years to fully repair.