DOHA, June 22 (Parliament Politics Magazine) – Thirteen people were killed and dozens injured after a powerful explosion rocked the Barzan gas processing facility inside the Ras Laffan Industrial City on Sunday evening.
The incident occurred as workers were attempting to restart operations at the site, which had been offline for urgent maintenance since December 2025.
Qatari Energy Minister and QatarEnergy CEO Saad al-Kaabi confirmed that the victims were all nationals of India and Pakistan. According to official reports, 66 people were injured during the blast, though authorities have stated that none of those currently receiving medical care are in life-threatening condition.
The explosion was attributed to a technical malfunction that occurred during the second day of a complex sequence to bring the facility back online. Officials have explicitly ruled out any possibility of sabotage or hostile intent following the blast.
Restarting liquefied natural gas operations requires a delicate and slow cooldown process to prevent thermal shock to the infrastructure. The complexity of these procedures means that LNG trains must be brought back into service in a specific, controlled sequence rather than simultaneously.
“This was an accident and not a sabotage or hostile in nature,” al-Kaabi said while speaking to reporters on Monday.
The Barzan gas supply facility, located within the massive Ras Laffan industrial complex, primarily provides pipeline gas for local industry and power generation. The broader hub has faced significant operational challenges throughout the year, particularly following damage from Iranian missile and drone attacks in March 2026.
Those previous strikes temporarily disabled approximately 17% of Qatar’s global LNG export capacity. Repairing that infrastructure is expected to take between three and five years. While the recent blast caused significant alarm, authorities emphasized that the incident was isolated to the domestic-facing Barzan unit.
The explosion was powerful enough to be felt across central Doha, located more than 70 kilometres away from the industrial site. Residents reported shaking windows and tremors, which caused widespread panic throughout the capital. Despite the severity of the blast, emergency response teams were able to contain the fire rapidly.
QatarEnergy confirmed that the country’s critical export capabilities remain entirely unaffected by the Sunday evening accident. Officials noted there is no ongoing risk to the environment, as no gas leaks have been reported following the containment of the fire.
The Barzan project, a substantial facility capable of producing liquefied petroleum gas and other exports, serves as a vital component of Qatar’s energy infrastructure. With the investigation into the technical malfunction now underway, the site remains a focal point for the energy industry, which is closely monitoring the stability of regional production following the recent period of regional conflict.
