Blast during restart operations
A massive explosion tore through Qatar's Ras Laffan industrial zone on Sunday night as workers attempted to resume operations at the natural gas export terminal following earlier war-related damage. The blast at the Barzan local gas supply facility killed at least 13 people and injured 66 others, with 18 workers still unaccounted for as of Monday morning, Qatar's Energy Ministry confirmed.
Energy market implications
The Ras Laffan facility is QatarEnergy's primary site for LNG production and export, with a total production capacity of 77 million metric tons per annum across 14 trains. Two of Qatar's LNG trains and one gas-to-liquid facility were damaged in Iranian strikes at the beginning of the Iran war in March. The fresh explosion could compound global energy supply concerns, particularly as Qatar already shut down production after Iran's chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz blocked shipments to clients.
Investigation underway
Authorities said the explosion resulted from a technical accident during start-up operations. Emergency crews continue to search for the missing workers while firefighting teams work to contain residual damage at the facility. Global energy markets are closely watching developments, as the outage at one of the world's largest LNG hubs could tighten gas supplies already strained by geopolitical tensions.