An explosion at Qatar's Ras Laffan liquefied natural gas processing site on Sunday evening has resulted in 54 injuries and 18 people missing, according to authorities.
The incident occurred during the startup of operations at the Barzan local gas supply facility within Ras Laffan Industrial City, leading to an explosion and subsequent fire. QatarEnergy confirmed the fire has been brought under control by emergency response teams.
The Ministry of Interior stated that rescue teams are actively searching for the 18 missing individuals. The explosion has been attributed to a "technical accident," with officials assuring the public that there is no threat to safety.
QatarEnergy has not yet provided details regarding any damage to the plant, which is responsible for supplying gas to the domestic market. A loud explosion was reportedly heard in Doha, the capital city, located south of the Ras Laffan facility.
The Barzan gas facility possesses a daily capacity of 1.4 billion cubic feet and provides pipeline gas to local industries and the power generation sector. It also produces ethane, condensate, liquefied petroleum gas, and sulfur for both domestic consumption and export.
Ras Laffan Industrial City is QatarEnergy's main hub for liquefied natural gas production and export, boasting a total production capacity of 77 million metric tons per annum across 14 trains. This incident follows a previous event where strikes damaged two LNG trains and one gas-to-liquids facility, impacting 17% of the country's LNG export capacity with projected repair times of several years.
