Ras Laffan Explosion: 54 Injured, 18 Missing in Qatar
Qatar's Ministry of Interior confirms 54 injured and 18 missing after a technical malfunction triggered an explosion and fire at the Barzan gas facility.
An explosion at a factory in Ras Laffan Industrial City has injured 54 people and left 18 others missing.
Qatar’s Ministry of Interior (MOI) confirmed the incident on Monday, June 22, 2026. The blast occurred on Sunday night, June 21, during the start-up of operations at the Barzan local gas supply facility inside Ras Laffan Industrial City. The MOI described the cause as a technical malfunction. Authorities confirmed there was no leakage posing any threat to public safety.
Search and rescue operations are currently underway for the 18 missing persons.
What Happened at Ras Laffan
The MOI initially reported at 10:55 pm on June 21 that an internal explosion had occurred at one of the factories in Ras Laffan Industrial City due to a technical incident. The initial statement said no injuries or hazardous leaks had been recorded.
In a follow-up statement issued at 11:27 pm, the MOI revised that position. It confirmed that the incident resulted from a technical malfunction during factory operations and that several people had been injured. Authorities reiterated that no leakage occurred that would pose a danger to individuals’ safety.
By early Monday morning, the confirmed figure had risen to 54 injured. Search operations for 18 missing persons were also confirmed to be underway.
QatarEnergy Confirms the Barzan Facility
State-owned QatarEnergy confirmed that the explosion and fire took place at the Barzan local gas supply facility a plant that supplies gas to Qatar’s domestic market.
The company said emergency response teams were immediately deployed to the scene and successfully brought the fire under control. QatarEnergy did not comment on the scale of damage to the plant.
Witnesses in Doha, located approximately 80 kilometres south of Ras Laffan, reported hearing a loud explosion and seeing flames and a large plume of smoke rising from the direction of the industrial zone.
Search and Rescue Operations Underway
The Qatari International Search and Rescue Group, affiliated with the Internal Security Force (Lekhwiya), has been deployed to lead search operations for the 18 missing persons. Civil Defence teams are cooperating with the group at the site.
Emergency and rescue teams remain at the scene as search and recovery efforts continue.
Ras Laffan Industrial City: Why It Matters
Ras Laffan Industrial City, located approximately 80 kilometres north of Doha, is one of the most critical energy hubs in the world. It is home to the world’s largest LNG export facility, which at full capacity produces roughly one-fifth of the global LNG supply.
Qatar is one of the world’s leading LNG exporters, alongside the United States, Australia and Russia.
The facility had already faced serious disruption earlier this year. Qatar halted LNG production on March 2, 2026, after Iranian drone strikes hit key facilities during the US-Iran war. A second wave of attacks on March 18 was expected to reduce export capacity by approximately 17 percent, with full repairs projected to take three to five years, according to Energy Minister Saad Al-Kaabi.
Sunday’s explosion occurred as QatarEnergy was in the process of restarting operations at the site following those disruptions.
No Public Safety Threat Confirmed
The MOI has been consistent on one point throughout its statements there is no leakage or hazardous release from the facility that poses a danger to the public.
Authorities have urged residents to rely only on official sources for updates as the situation develops.
This is a developing story. Follow HyakQatar for the latest updates as more information becomes available.
