At least 13 people lost their lives following an explosion at the largest natural gas facility in Qatar.
According to the Ministry of the Interior, the main liquefied natural gas (LNG) processing plant in the Ras Laffan industrial zone suffered a “technical accident” on Sunday night. The explosion was so powerful that the sky above the city lit up orange.
Qatar’s Minister of Energy, Saad Sherida al-Kaabi, stated that the incident will not affect the country’s exports, emphasizing that “this was an accident and not an act of sabotage or a hostile act.”
Ras Laffan is home to the world’s largest man-made harbor and the world’s largest LNG export facility. Earlier this year, it had been targeted by Iranian attacks.
The explosion caused strong tremors that made windows rattle, and was even felt in downtown Doha, causing panic among residents more than 70 kilometers away from the site.
Al-Kaabi stated that authorities are investigating the causes of the explosion, which occurred at the Barzan natural gas facility, adding that there is no risk to the environment.
He also noted that it is still difficult to estimate when the facility will be able to resume full operations.
“Production at the plant had been completely suspended since December 2025 due to emergency maintenance work and resumed just two days ago,” the minister said.
