Indians among 13 killed in explosion at Qatar's Ras Laffan gas complex

Qatar's Energy Minister Saad al-Kaabi announced the casualties while addressing reporters, describing the incident as a tragic accident.

"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," al-Kaabi said.

Blast occurred during restart of operations

According to officials, the explosion took place as workers were restarting operations that had been suspended following an Iranian attack on the facility in March.

While confirming the deaths and injuries, the minister said none of the injured workers were in critical condition.

"Sixty-six people have been reported injured and are receiving medical treatment, none of whom are in life-threatening condition," he said.

Authorities have not disclosed how many of those killed were Indian nationals.

Qatar says exports unaffected

On Sunday evening, officials described the incident as a "technical accident" at the Barzan local gas supply facility within the Ras Laffan industrial complex.

The Energy Ministry stressed that the explosion would not affect Qatar's LNG exports or global energy supplies.

"This will not affect in any way our exports to the world," al-Kaabi said, adding that the incident was "an accident and not sabotage or hostile in nature."

Probe underway as authorities assess damage

QatarEnergy has launched an investigation into the explosion, though officials have not yet revealed where exactly within the facility the blast occurred.

The company also declined to disclose the extent of the damage caused by the explosion.

Authorities maintained that there was no environmental risk resulting from the incident.

Strategic energy facility

The Barzan gas facility has a production capacity of nearly 1.4 billion standard cubic feet of sales gas per day. The gas is primarily used to generate electricity and power desalination plants that supply water across Qatar.

The incident comes months after Ras Laffan was targeted during regional tensions in March, when an Iranian missile strike triggered a fire and caused significant damage at the complex.

The latest explosion is expected to raise fresh questions about safety and operational procedures at one of the Gulf nation's most critical energy installations.