Explosion at Qatar’s Ras Laffan LNG Facility Leaves 54 Injured and 18 Missing

On June 21, Reuters reports that an explosion at Qatar’s Ras Laffan liquefied natural gas facility injured 54 people and left 18 missing, according to authorities.

The incident, which took place during the startup of operations at Ras Laffan Industrial City, triggered an explosion and fire at the Barzan local gas supply facility on Sunday evening, QatarEnergy said in a statement. Emergency responders were dispatched, and the blaze was subsequently brought under control.

Qatar’s Interior Ministry confirmed that 54 individuals sustained injuries, and rescue teams are actively searching for 18 missing persons. The ministry attributed the blast to a technical accident and asserted that there is no threat to public safety.

QatarEnergy has not disclosed whether the explosion resulted in damage to the plant, which supplies gas to the domestic market.

A Reuters witness reported hearing a loud boom in Doha, south of the Ras Laffan site, earlier that day.

The Barzan gas facility, with a capacity of 1.4 billion cubic feet per day, supplies pipeline gas to local industries and Qatar’s power generation sector.

In addition, the facility can produce ethane, condensate, liquefied petroleum gas, and sulfur for both domestic consumption and export.

Located in Ras Laffan Industrial City, the plant is QatarEnergy’s principal LNG production and export hub, boasting a total capacity of 77 million metric tonnes per annum across 14 trains.

Earlier disruptions saw two LNG trains and one gas‑to‑liquids facility damaged during strikes amid tensions between the U.S. and Israel over Iran, cutting 17 % of Qatar’s LNG export capacity; repairs are projected to take years.

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