12 Indians among 13 killed in blast at Qatar's Ras Laffan LNG complex during restart

Twelve Indian nationals were among the 13 workers killed in an explosion at Qatar's Ras Laffan liquefied natural gas (LNG) complex, the Indian Embassy confirmed on Tuesday, after a blast tore through the facility during the restart of operations that had been suspended following an Iranian missile attack earlier this year.

The blast occurred on Sunday evening at the Barzan gas supply facility, part of the sprawling Ras Laffan Industrial City. Qatar's Energy Minister and QatarEnergy CEO Saad al-Kaabi said all those killed were from India and Pakistan.

Also Read: Qatar plans to rapidly restart LNG production after Hormuz opens


"Qatari authorities have also confirmed that all those who got injured in the incident are in stable condition and are receiving appropriate medical treatment. Our Embassy is working in close contact with the Qatari authorities to extend all possible help to the Indian nationals and their families affected by this incident, including ensuring that mortal remains of the deceased are sent to India at the earliest," the Indian Embassy said in a post on social media platform X.


"This was an accident and not a sabotage or hostile in nature...Plant production was intentionally completely stopped since December 2025 due to urgent maintenance requirements, it was first restarted again only two days ago," he told reporters.

Al-Kaabi said there was no risk to the environment and that the country's LNG export capabilities remained unaffected despite the explosion. An investigation has been launched into the incident.

The blast rattled windows and was felt across central Doha, more than 70 kilometres away, triggering panic among residents.

Also Read: West Asia War: Qatari complex housing world’s largest liquefied natural gas export plant suffers 'extensive damage' from Iranian strike

The accident comes as Qatar continues to restore energy operations disrupted during the Iran war. The Gulf nation, which hosts a major U.S. military base, came under repeated Iranian missile and drone attacks during the conflict, while the closure of the Strait of Hormuz disrupted nearly 20 per cent of global LNG supplies before shipments gradually resumed.

The explosion also underscores the complexity of restarting LNG facilities after prolonged shutdowns. LNG trains must be brought online sequentially through a carefully controlled cooldown process to prevent thermal shock, making restarts slow and technically demanding.

The Barzan facility, where the blast occurred, supplies natural gas to Qatar's domestic power and industrial sectors and also produces liquefied petroleum gas and other export products. It forms part of Ras Laffan Industrial City, QatarEnergy's flagship LNG production and export hub with an annual production capacity of 77 million metric tonnes.

In March, an Iranian missile strike damaged two key gas-processing units at Ras Laffan, cutting roughly 17 per cent of Qatar's LNG export capacity. Al-Kaabi had then told Reuters that repairs would take between three and five years.

The conflict also forced QatarEnergy to evacuate around 10,000 workers from offshore rigs and onshore processing facilities, although no casualties were reported in the March missile attack.