ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - An explosion at a gas facility in Qatar left 13 dead and dozens injured, the country's energy minister said on Monday.
"Unfortunately, I find myself today having to do something I have always hoped will never happen, and that is to announce the tragic loss of 13 lives of our people who hold Indian and Pakistani nationalities," Qatari Energy Minister Saad al-Kaabi told reporters, adding that "66 people have been reported injured and are receiving medical treatment, none of whom are in life-threatening condition."
The minister said the injured included Qatari, Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Kenyan, Tanzanian, Nigerian, and Nepalese nationals.
Qatar's interior ministry announced on X late Sunday that an internal explosion had occurred in the country's northeastern Ras Laffan industrial district. The ministry added that Qatar's search and rescue teams, working alongside civil defense units, were searching for missing persons.
According to al-Kaabi, the explosion and fire occurred at the Barzan gas facility, operated by state-owned Qatar Energy. He stressed that the explosion was the result of an "accident" and was not "sabotage or hostile in nature."
He added that the facility had been "completely and intentionally stopped since December of 2025," and had only resumed operations on Saturday.
"We have started a full investigation to determine the cause of this unfortunate incident," al-Kaabi said, adding that the incident "will not affect in any way our export capabilities."
Qatar supplies 20 percent of the world's liquefied natural gas. Recent maritime disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz — a key route for a fifth of global oil supply — following a six-week conflict involving the US, Israel, and Iran, have already slowed exports from Qatar and other Gulf states.
