12 Indians among 13 killed in Qatar gas facility blast; 66 injured

Twelve Indian nationals were among 13 people killed in a devastating explosion at a gas facility in Qatar's Ras Laffan Industrial City, authorities confirmed on Monday. The blast, which occurred during the restart of operations at the Barzan local gas supply facility operated by QatarEnergy LNG, also left 66 people injured.

Confirming the deaths, the Indian Embassy in Doha said in a post on X: "Qatari authorities have confirmed that 12 Indian nationals have unfortunately passed away in the Ras Laffan incident yesterday night."

Qatar's energy minister Saad bin Shreida Al-Kaabi said during a media briefing that 13 people of Indian and Pakistani origin lost their lives in the accident.

The injured include nationals of Qatar, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Kenya, Ghana, Tanzania, Nigeria and Nepal. According to the Indian mission, all injured Indians are in stable condition and 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 embassy said.

Earlier, the mission had expressed "deep concern" over the incident and conveyed solidarity with Qatar. "We wish for the speedy recovery of those injured and hope and pray for the safety of those missing," it said.

In a separate statement, Qatar's Ministry of Interior said the explosion was triggered by a technical malfunction during operations at the facility. Emergency teams and security authorities responded immediately, implementing approved emergency procedures and evacuating the injured to nearby hospitals.

Authorities said search and rescue operations have been completed and investigations are underway to determine the exact cause of the accident.

The ministry also sought to reassure the public, stating that no gas leaks were detected and that there is no threat to public safety or the surrounding environment.

QatarEnergy said the explosion and subsequent fire occurred on Sunday evening during the start-up phase of operations at the Barzan facility. The fire was swiftly extinguished by emergency response teams and Qatar's Civil Defence personnel.

The company added that damage assessments are underway at the Barzan plant and neighbouring facilities. However, Qatar's LNG production facilities, Ras Laffan Port, logistics operations and export capabilities remain unaffected.

Notably, Barzan production had been completely suspended since December 2025 for urgent maintenance work and had resumed operations only two days before the explosion, according to QatarEnergy.

A full investigation into the incident has been launched.

With PTI inputs