Several Indians were among the 13 people who lost their lives and 66 others who were injured in an explosion at Qatar’s Ras Laffan liquefied natural gas (LNG) complex on Sunday evening. The incident occurred while workers were in the process of restarting operations that had previously been disrupted by an Iranian missile attack earlier this year.
Qatar’s Energy Minister and QatarEnergy CEO, Saad al-Kaabi, confirmed that the deceased included Indian and Pakistani nationals. The explosion took place at the Barzan gas supply facility, which is part of Ras Laffan Industrial City, Qatar’s main centre for LNG production and exports. Authorities described the blast as a technical accident and announced that an investigation had been initiated to determine the cause.
Addressing reporters on Monday, al-Kaabi expressed his condolences to the families of those who died. He stated that 13 workers of Indian and Pakistani nationality had lost their lives and that 66 others had been injured. He added that all those receiving treatment were in stable condition and none had sustained life-threatening injuries.
The force of the explosion was reportedly felt across central Doha, more than 70 kilometres away from Ras Laffan, causing windows to shake and alarming residents. Al-Kaabi stressed that there was no environmental threat arising from the incident and that Qatar’s LNG exports had not been affected. He explained that the facility had been completely shut down since December 2025 due to urgent maintenance requirements and had resumed operations only two days before the accident. He also clarified that the explosion was accidental in nature and not the result of sabotage or any hostile act.
The Indian Embassy in Doha conveyed its condolences to the families of the victims and said it was working closely with Qatari authorities following the incident. In a statement posted on X, the embassy expressed deep sympathy for those who had lost their lives in the explosion but did not specify how many Indian nationals were among the casualties.
The blast occurred months after Iranian missile strikes damaged important gas-processing facilities at Ras Laffan during the Iran conflict, disrupting production and affecting infrastructure. Qatar, which hosts a major US military base, had faced repeated missile and drone attacks from Iran during the conflict. The temporary closure of the Strait of Hormuz during that period disrupted nearly one-fifth of global LNG supplies before exports gradually resumed.
The latest accident highlights the challenges involved in restoring energy facilities after extended shutdowns and wartime damage. Restarting LNG plants is a complex process that requires gradual cooling procedures to prevent thermal damage, with production units being brought back online in carefully planned stages rather than all at once.
The Barzan facility plays a vital role in supplying gas to domestic industries and power plants while also producing liquefied petroleum gas and other export products. It forms part of Ras Laffan Industrial City, QatarEnergy’s flagship LNG production hub, which has an annual production capacity of 77 million metric tons.
Earlier in March, Iranian missile attacks struck two major gas-processing units at Ras Laffan, reducing approximately 17 per cent of Qatar’s LNG export capacity. QatarEnergy had previously stated that repairing the damaged infrastructure could take between three and five years. The conflict also led to the evacuation of around 10,000 workers from offshore and onshore facilities, although no injuries were reported during those attacks.
