An explosion at Qatar’s largest natural gas complex killed 13 people and injured approximately 66 others Sunday, authorities said, as the facility was being restarted after a prolonged shutdown linked to the regional conflict between Iran and the United States.
The blast occurred in the Ras Laffan industrial zone, according to officials from Qatar’s interior ministry. They said the explosion was caused by a technical malfunction that took place as the facility resumed natural gas production following a shutdown. The ministry’s statement provided no further detail on the specific equipment involved.
Qatar’s Energy Minister Saad Sherida al-Kaabi said the explosion would not affect the country’s exports. He characterized the incident as an industrial accident, telling reporters that it was “not sabotage or hostile in nature.”
All of those killed were workers at the plant, according to The New York Times. BBC News reported that they were all from India or Pakistan.
“We convey our deepest condolences to the families of those who have unfortunately passed away in the sad incident at Ras Laffan Industrial City last night,” the Embassy of India in Doha said in a social media post.
The blast was powerful enough to turn the city’s skyline orange and was felt by residents more than 43 miles away, BBC News reported.
Qatar had ceased production at the facility earlier in the conflict between Iran and the United States and its allies — a war that has repeatedly struck energy infrastructure across the Persian Gulf. Authorities have previously said that damage from attacks during the conflict could take years to repair. The nearby Ras Laffan Port, the largest artificial harbor in the world, was targeted by Iranian strikes earlier this year.
Ras Laffan is the largest site in Qatar for producing liquefied natural gas (LNG), a commodity critical to the country’s economy. Qatar is one of the world’s largest LNG exporters.
The incident comes after months of escalating conflict in the Gulf region that has repeatedly damaged or threatened critical energy infrastructure. As MSI reported in March, Iranian strikes expanded to target energy facilities across the Gulf, and subsequent exchanges of fire threatened key oil and gas installations with risks of longer price shocks.