Fifty-four people were injured and another 18 were missing after an explosion occurred at Qatar's core LNG processing site of Ras Laffan on Sunday, Reuters reported.
The explosion resulted in fire at the gas facility on Sunday evening, with authorities attributing the incident to a technical malfunction during operational procedures. Emergency response teams were immediately deployed to the site, and officials later confirmed that the blaze had been brought under control.
Qatar's Ministry of Interior said the incident occurred at a factory in Ras Laffan Industrial City following a technical issue during operations.
In its initial statement, the ministry reported that an internal explosion had taken place and said Civil Defence teams were responding to the emergency.
"An internal explosion occurred at a factory in Ras Laffan Industrial City due to a technical incident. Civil Defence teams are handling the incident, with no injuries or leaks reported that may pose a threat to public safety," the ministry said.
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Authorities Confirm Injuries
In a subsequent update, the ministry revised its assessment and confirmed that several people had been injured in the incident.
"Further to the previous statement, the incident was caused by a technical malfunction during operations at a factory in Ras Laffan Industrial City. A number of injuries were reported, with no leaks posing a threat to public safety. The competent authorities are continuing to respond to the incident," it said.
Authorities did not immediately disclose the number of people injured or the severity of their conditions.
QatarEnergy Identifies Facility
QatarEnergy later confirmed that the explosion and fire occurred at the Barzan local gas supply facility during the start-up of operations.
"QatarEnergy confirms that there was an operational incident during the start-up of operations at Ras Laffan Industrial City which resulted in an explosion and fire at Barzan local gas supply facility in the evening hours of Sunday 21 June 2026," the company said in a statement.
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The state-owned energy company said emergency crews acted swiftly to contain the fire.
"Emergency response teams were deployed immediately to contain the fire, which is now under control. QatarEnergy will continue to communicate the latest available information," it added.
No Threat To Public Safety
Both QatarEnergy and the Ministry of Interior stressed that no leaks linked to the incident posed any danger to surrounding communities or public safety.
Authorities said investigations into the cause of the malfunction were continuing, while response teams remained at the site to monitor the situation and ensure operational safety.