54 injured, 18 missing in Qatar LNG plant explosion, government announcement | energy

The Interior Ministry said a ‘technical malfunction’ caused the explosion in the industrial city of Ras Laffan.

An explosion occurred at a major liquefied natural gas processing facility in Qatar, injuring 54 people and leaving 18 missing, authorities said.

Qatar’s Interior Ministry said on Monday that Qatar’s international search and rescue team had been dispatched to search for missing people following an “internal explosion” in the industrial city of Ras Raffan.

The Ministry of Defense did not provide information on the condition of those injured in the incident, which it blamed on a ‘technical malfunction’.

Officials said civil defense teams earlier called to the scene did not record any injuries.

The ministry said there were no leaks at the facility that could pose a risk to public safety.

QatarEnergy, which manages the industrial hub, said emergency response teams were deployed shortly after an explosion occurred at the Barzan plant and a fire broke out at the facility.

The industrial city of Ras Laffan, located about 80 kilometers (50 miles) north of Doha, is home to the world’s largest LNG export facility, producing about a fifth of the world’s supply.

In March, Qatar’s government announced that the industrial hub had suffered “significant damage” after being targeted by Iranian missile and drone attacks.

Qatar Energy applied force majeure clauses in some contracts to relieve itself of supply obligations following the attacks, affecting customers in Italy, Belgium, South Korea and China.