Qatar has confirmed that 13 people of Indian and Pakistani origin were killed and 66 others injured in a fire caused by an explosion at the Barzan gas supply facility in Ras Laffan Industrial City. The blast, which occurred on Sunday evening, was powerful enough to be felt across central Doha, sparking panic among residents more than 70 kilometres away. The incident comes at a sensitive time for the Gulf nation as it works to restore energy operations disrupted by the Iran war, which had severely affected LNG exports from the region and raised concerns over global energy supplies.
Casualties Confirmed
Speaking at a press briefing on Monday, Qatar Energy Minister Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi said all 13 fatalities were Indian and Pakistani nationals. He stressed that the explosion was an industrial accident and not linked to sabotage or any hostile activity.
According to Al-Kaabi, production at the facility had been deliberately halted since December 2025 for urgent maintenance work and was only restarted two days before the incident. Authorities have launched an investigation into the cause of the blast.
The minister also sought to reassure markets and residents, saying there was no environmental risk and that Qatar’s LNG export capabilities remained unaffected despite the incident.
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Energy Challenges Persist
The explosion underscores the difficulties Gulf energy producers face as they attempt to restore oil and gas operations disrupted during the Iran war. Qatar has been particularly vulnerable because of its reliance on the Strait of Hormuz, a key shipping route for LNG exports, and the lack of alternative export corridors.
Restarting LNG infrastructure is a highly complex process. Liquefaction facilities must be cooled gradually to around minus 162 degrees Celsius to prevent thermal shock, meaning production trains cannot be restarted simultaneously and instead have to be brought online in sequence.
The Barzan facility forms part of Ras Laffan Industrial City, QatarEnergy’s vast LNG production and export hub. The site is central to the country’s energy sector and supports annual LNG production capacity of around 77 million metric tonnes.
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