Overview
- An explosion and fire ripped through the Barzan local gas supply facility in Ras Laffan Industrial City during start‑up work on Sunday night, officials and QatarEnergy said.
- Qatar’s energy minister updated the toll to 13 dead and 66 injured while search‑and‑rescue teams continue to look for missing workers and recover victims.
- Authorities have described the incident as a technical malfunction and said it was not sabotage, and they reported no hazardous leaks endangering the public.
- Emergency crews contained the blaze, civil defence and the Qatari International Search and Rescue Group led on‑site response, and QatarEnergy has opened a formal investigation.
- The blast raises fresh uncertainty for Qatar’s restart plans and local services because Ras Laffan underpins global LNG supply and the Barzan unit normally feeds domestic power and desalination with about 1.4 billion cubic feet of gas per day.