Overview
- QatarEnergy and the Interior Ministry say an internal explosion and fire broke out at the Barzan local gas supply facility during start-up operations, with emergency teams bringing the blaze under control.
- Officials revised casualty figures as the situation developed, with Energy Minister Saad al-Kaabi reporting 13 dead and 66 injured after earlier statements that 54 were hurt and 18 were missing.
- Search-and-rescue teams from Qatar’s civil defence and the Qatari International Search and Rescue Group continue to look for unaccounted workers while a formal investigation into the technical malfunction is under way.
- Barzan supplies about 1.4 billion standard cubic feet per day for domestic power and desalination, so damage at the plant raises immediate concerns for local energy services even as ministers say exports are not yet confirmed to be affected.
- The blast occurred as Qatar was restarting units that had been taken offline after March missile and drone strikes, highlighting the risks and delays in restoring the world’s largest LNG hub and the wider regional exposure of Gulf energy infrastructure.