A technical malfunction triggered an explosion and fire at Qatar's Ras Laffan Industrial City, injuring several people and briefly lighting up the night sky above one of the world's most important liquefied natural gas hubs.
Qatar: A powerful explosion followed by a fire struck a facility in Qatar's Ras Laffan Industrial Area on June 21, prompting an emergency response and raising concerns about operations at one of the world's largest liquefied natural gas (LNG) centres.
The explosion injured at least 54 people and left 18 missing as workers attempted to restart facilities at the Barzan gas plant, authorities said.
Also Read
Qatar's Ministry of Interior said the incident was caused by a technical malfunction inside one of the factories in the industrial zone. Civil defence teams were immediately deployed to the site and began emergency operations to contain the situation.
State-owned QatarEnergy later confirmed that the explosion occurred during the start-up of operations at the Barzan local gas supply facility within Ras Laffan Industrial City. The company said the start-up process resulted in an explosion and subsequent fire.
ALSO READ | Trump threatens to strike Iran over support for Hezbollah as peace talks progress in Switzerland
Authorities initially reported that the blast had caused injuries. However, later updates indicated that no serious security threat had emerged from the incident and that no gas leaks posing a danger to the public had been detected. Emergency crews continued to monitor the site and carry out safety procedures.
Witnesses reported seeing flames and smoke rising above the industrial area. The glow from the fire was visible from considerable distances, while residents in Doha said they heard the blast despite being located far from the industrial complex.
The incident comes months after Ras Laffan suffered damage during the conflict involving the United States, Israel and Iran. During that period, Iranian attacks targeted Gulf energy infrastructure, including facilities connected to Ras Laffan, disrupting gas production and exports.
Ras Laffan is a critical part of Qatar's energy sector and serves as the world's largest LNG export hub. Any disruption to operations at the complex is closely watched by global energy markets because Qatar remains one of the leading suppliers of liquefied natural gas worldwide.
Officials stressed that the latest explosion was linked to an internal technical issue rather than any external attack. Investigations are expected to determine the precise cause of the malfunction and assess the extent of damage to the facility.
Published: 22 Jun 2026, 07:20 am IST
Disclaimer: Kindly avoid objectionable, derogatory, unlawful and lewd comments, while responding to reports. Such comments are punishable under cyber laws. Please keep away from personal attacks. The opinions expressed here are the personal opinions of readers and not that of Mathrubhumi.