According to Reuters, an explosion occured on the evening of June 21 at the Barzan gas facility in Qatar’s Ras Laffan industrial zone, a major hub for natural gas operations.
Qatari authorities reported 13 fatalities and 66 injuries. Qatar’s Minister of State for Energy Affairs and QatarEnergy CEO Saad al-Kaabi described the cause as a “technical malfunction” during restart and commissioning operations at the facility, which primarily supplies gas for Qatar’s domestic market, Al Jazeera reported.
Officials are classifying the incident as an industrial accident and ruled out sabotage or hostile action. They stated that the Barzan facility is not a core LNG export terminal and that the explosion would not affect Qatar’s LNG export volumes or deliveries to international customers, Qatar Energy said in a statement.
The facility had been shut down since December 2025 for maintenance and was in the early stages of restart when the blast happened. The explosion was strong enough to be heard and felt in Doha, approximately 80 km away. Emergency teams responded promptly, extinguished the fire, and contained the incident.
According to Reuters, all 13 fatalities were foreign workers, primarily from India and Pakistan. The injured include Qatari nationals and workers from other Asian and African countries; authorities said all are in stable condition and not in life-threatening danger.
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Qatar’s environmental authorities reported no release of toxic gases or threats to nearby residents or the ecosystem following the fire.
The Indian Embassy in Doha confirmed the deaths of Indian nationals, expressed condolences, and stated it is coordinating with Qatari authorities to support impacted families.
