Qatar confirms explosion, fire at Ras Laffan LNG hub
State-owned QatarEnergy is investigating an explosion and subsequent fire that broke out on June 21 at the company’s LNG operations in Ras Laffan Industrial City
An unspecified “operational incident” occurred during start-up activities at the Ras Laffan hub, triggering an explosion and fire at the Barzan local gas supply facility, QatarEnergy said in a statement.
With emergency response teams immediately deployed to the site, the fire was contained and controlled as of early on June 22, according to the operator.
In subsequent posts to its official X account, Qatar’s Ministry of Interior (MOI) clarified that the incident—which took place at a single but yet-to-be-identified Ras Laffan factory—was caused by “a technical malfunction during operations.”
As of midday on June 22, the explosion and ensuring fire had resulted in 13 confirmed deaths and 66 injuries, MOI said.
While relevant authorities remain on site to investigate the incident and determine its technical causes, MOI confirmed preliminary indications showed no leaks were detected at the blast site that would pose threats to the safety of investigators or members of the surrounding community.
The current status of broader operations at Ras Laffan was not revealed.
Ras Laffan Industrial City has been the focus of broader disruption risk for Qatar’s LNG system in 2026.
In March 2026, QatarEnergy halted LNG production and declared force majeure following Iranian missile attacks on Ras Laffan Industrial City.
It remains unclear the degree to which this latest incident will impact operations at Ras Laffan and Qatar’s LNG export capacity amid still-yet-to-be-repaired damage to the country’s infrastructure resulting from the US-Israeli war on Iran.
Qatar produces roughly 20% of the world’s LNG.