DOHA — An explosion tore through Qatar’s key natural gas export terminal Sunday night, injuring at least 54 people as another 18 were still missing hours later, authorities said.
An incident during the start-up of operations at Ras Laffan Industrial City resulted in an explosion and fire at the Barzan local gas supply facility on Sunday evening, QatarEnergy said in a statement. Emergency response teams were deployed to contain the fire, which was now under control, it said.
Qatar’s Interior Ministry attributed the explosion to a “technical accident” and said there was no threat to public safety.
QatarEnergy did not indicate whether the explosion had caused any damage to the plant, which supplies gas to the domestic market.
A witness told Reuters that a loud boom was heard in the capital Doha, south of the Ras Laffan facility.
The blast at the Ras Laffan could cause further chaos in global energy markets, particularly as Qatar remains one of the world’s top natural gas producers. Qatar shut down production at the facility after Iran’s blockade on the Strait of Hormuz as it couldn’t get shipments out to its clients.
With Iran loosening its grip on the strait as negotiations continue over a permanent end to the war, Qatar began work to try to restart the export terminal. The explosion and the resulting fire on Sunday night occurred during that preparation work, QatarEnergy said.
The scale of the damage remains unknown after the blast, with officials initially saying only a few people had been hurt. But hours later, Qatar’s Interior Ministry offered the far-greater casualty figures.
The Barzan gas facility has a capacity of 1.4 billion cubic feet per day (bcfd), and supplies pipeline gas to local industries and Qatar’s power generation sector.
Qatar owns nearly all of the plant, with a small share also held by ExxonMobil.
In March, an Iranian missile hit Ras Laffan, sparking a fire that caused “extensive” damage before it was extinguished, authorities said.
Source: Saudi Gazette