At least 13 individuals have died and 66 sustained injuries following a significant explosion at Qatar's primary liquefied natural gas (LNG) processing site. The incident, which occurred on Sunday night in the Ras Laffan industrial zone, was described by the interior ministry as a "technical accident." The blast was powerful enough to illuminate the city's skyline with an orange glow and was felt as far as central Doha, more than 70 kilometres away, causing alarm among residents.
Qatar's Energy Minister, Saad Sherida al-Kaabi, confirmed that the explosion would not impact the nation's substantial gas exports. He also clarified that the incident was accidental in nature and not a result of sabotage or hostile activity. The Ras Laffan Port is globally recognised as the largest artificial harbour and hosts the world's largest LNG export facility, making it a critical hub for global energy supplies.
The explosion took place at the Barzan local gas supply facility. Minister al-Kaabi stated that an investigation has been launched to determine the precise cause of the blast. He further confirmed that all those who lost their lives in the incident were nationals from India and Pakistan. The Embassy of India in Doha has since issued a statement expressing its condolences and assuring ongoing communication with Qatari authorities to provide assistance to the affected families.
QatarEnergy, the state-owned energy company, confirmed the explosion occurred on the evening of Sunday, 21 June. Emergency response teams were immediately deployed to manage the situation, and the fire has since been brought under control. The facility had only recently restarted operations two days prior to the explosion, following a complete shutdown for urgent maintenance requirements since December 2025. This restart came after production had been intentionally halted since March, partly in response to regional conflicts.
This incident follows a period of heightened sensitivity for the Ras Laffan Port, which reportedly sustained "extensive damage" earlier this year from retaliatory strikes amidst the US-Israel conflict with Iran. Qatar, a major global energy supplier, had previously paused a fifth of the world's LNG production in response to the conflict, with shipments only recently beginning to resume.