Qatar factory explosion at Ras Laffan LNG hub injures 54, leaves 18 missing

An explosion at a factory in Qatar's Ras Laffan Industrial City injured 54 people and left 18 others missing, the Gulf state's interior ministry said Monday.

The blast struck Sunday at the Barzan local gas supply facility during a restart of operations, state-owned QatarEnergy confirmed.

What happened in the Qatar factory explosion at Ras Laffan?

A technical malfunction triggered an explosion and fire at the Barzan gas facility inside Ras Laffan Industrial City on Sunday night. Qatar's interior ministry confirmed 54 injuries and said authorities were searching for 18 missing people.

QatarEnergy said the blast occurred during the start-up of operations at the facility.

Where is Ras Laffan and why does the explosion matter?

Ras Laffan Industrial City is home to the world's largest liquefied natural gas hub, located on Qatar's northeastern coast. An AFP journalist 20 kilometers away saw flames lighting up the night sky and a column of smoke rising from the area.

Qatar ranks among the world's top LNG producers alongside the United States, Australia and Russia.

The explosion comes as Ras Laffan is still recovering from damage sustained during the US-Iran war. Iranian drone strikes hit key facilities on March 2, forcing Qatar to halt LNG production entirely. A second wave of attacks on March 18 was expected to cut LNG export capacity by 17 percent, with repairs projected to take three to five years.

What caused the Qatar Ras Laffan explosion?

Qatar's interior ministry initially described the incident as an "internal explosion" before attributing it to a "technical malfunction" in a follow-up statement.

QatarEnergy said the blast occurred during the restart of operations at the Barzan facility, which supplies gas locally. Authorities have not released further details on the cause or the identities of those missing.

Energy Minister Saad Al-Kaabi had previously warned that damage from the March 18 strikes alone would take years to address. The latest explosion compounds pressure on Qatar's energy sector at a moment when the country is attempting to restore production capacity. Search and rescue operations for the 18 missing individuals were ongoing as of Monday.