Thirteen killed, 66 injured as explosion hits Qatar's Barzan gas plant during restart after Iran war shutdown

Explosion at Barzan plant

The blast occurred on the evening of 21 June 2026 at the Barzan local gas supply facility within the Ras Laffan Industrial City, about 80 kilometres north of Doha. Workers were restarting operations that had been completely halted since December 2025 for urgent maintenance, and the plant had been back online for only two days. Qatar's Interior Ministry initially reported 54 injured and 18 missing, but Energy Minister Saad al-Kaabi updated the toll on Monday afternoon to 13 dead and 66 injured, none of them in life‑threatening condition. All of the deceased were nationals of India or Pakistan; the injured included citizens of Qatar, India, Pakistan, Iran, Bangladesh, Kenya, Tanzania, Nigeria and Nepal.

The fire was brought under control by emergency teams, and the state‑owned QatarEnergy said the incident posed no risk to public safety. The explosion is the deadliest gas‑industry accident since a 2004 blast at Algeria's Skikda LNG complex that killed 27 people.

Official response and investigation

“Today I find myself in the position of having to do what I always hoped would not happen, which is to announce the tragic loss of 13 lives of our Indian and Pakistani workers.”

Speaking to reporters, Kaabi stressed that the explosion was "an accident and not sabotage or a hostile act". He added that an investigation had been launched and that there was no environmental damage. QatarEnergy emphasised that LNG production facilities, the Ras Laffan port and other logistical operations were unaffected.

“This explosion will not affect in any way our export capabilities.”

Iran war context

Ras Laffan, home to the world's largest LNG production plant with an annual capacity of 77 million tonnes, was hit by Iranian attacks during the war earlier this year. A drone and missile strike on 2 March forced the shutdown of LNG operations, and a second attack on 18 March damaged two gas‑processing trains, cutting about 17 % of Qatar's export capacity. Repairs to those units are expected to take three to five years.

The conflict also closed the Strait of Hormuz, trapping roughly 20 % of global LNG supply inside the Gulf. Shipments have only recently begun to resume as Iran eases its control while negotiations with Washington continue. Qatar has been mediating implementation of a U.S.-Iran memorandum of understanding signed last week aimed at ending the war.

Barzan facility and market assurances

The Barzan plant supplies pipeline gas for Qatar's power generation, desalination plants and local industry, and it can also produce ethane, condensate, liquefied petroleum gas and sulphur for domestic and export markets. It has a capacity of 1.4 billion standard cubic feet of marketable gas per day. QatarEnergy holds a 93 % stake in the project and ExxonMobil the remaining 7 %.

Kaabi said the explosion would have no impact on local gas needs or on Qatar's LNG exports. The incident nevertheless highlights the operational risks as Gulf producers try to restore output after one of the most disruptive energy crises in the region's history.