13 Killed Including Indians in Blast at Qatar’s Key LNG Hub in Ras Laffan Industrial City
A total of 13 people were killed in an explosion at Qatar’s Ras Laffan Industrial City, one of the world’s most important liquefied natural gas (LNG) hubs, with Qatar’s Energy Minister Saad al-Kaabi confirming that all 13 victims held Indian and Pakistani nationality. Speaking at a news conference in Doha on Monday, al-Kaabi said the blast also left 66 people injured, none of them in life-threatening condition.
The explosion occurred at the Barzan local gas supply facility within Ras Laffan Industrial City as workers were restarting operations at the complex, which had been shut down since December 2025 for urgent maintenance and had resumed operations only two days before the incident. Al-Kaabi said the blast was the result of a technical malfunction and was “an accident and not sabotage or hostile in nature,” ruling out any link to the recent Iranian strikes on Gulf energy infrastructure during the Iran war. QatarEnergy said the explosion had no impact on the country’s LNG export operations or port infrastructure, with gas facilities and Ras Laffan Port continuing to operate normally.
The blast rattled windows and was felt across central Doha, more than 70 kilometres away, panicking residents and prompting eyewitness accounts of flames and smoke rising from the industrial zone.
Earlier on Monday, before the minister’s confirmation, the Embassy of India in Doha had issued a statement expressing concern over the incident, saying it was closely monitoring the situation. “The Embassy of India, Doha, expresses deep concern at the unfortunate incident that occurred at the Ras Laffan Industrial City yesterday, in which several people got injured and some are missing as per authorities,” the mission had said, without confirming any Indian fatalities at that stage. The embassy added, “At this challenging and difficult time, the Embassy of India and the entire Indian community in Qatar stands in solidarity with the Government and people of Qatar. We wish for speedy recovery of those injured and hope and pray for the safety of those missing.”
Qatar’s interior ministry had earlier described the incident as an “internal explosion” caused by a technical malfunction. The accident comes as Gulf energy producers work to restore output at facilities that were shut down during the Iran war, with Ras Laffan having been significantly damaged in Iranian missile and drone strikes earlier this year. Qatar, which has no alternative export routes for its LNG, was among the hardest hit by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz during the conflict.