Qatar factory explosion injures 54: interior ministry

An explosion at a factory in Qatar injured 54 people and left 18 missing, the Gulf state's interior ministry said Monday.

A "technical incident" caused the blast on Sunday in Qatar's Ras Laffan industrial zone, the ministry said, adding that authorities were searching for the missing.

An AFP journalist 20 kilometres (12 miles) away saw flames illuminating the night sky and a plume of smoke rising from the area, home to the world's largest liquefied natural gas hub. 

Ras Laffan had already been badly damaged in the US-Iran war, with Iranian strikes targeting Gulf energy infrastructure and forcing Qatar to halt gas production.

State-owned firm QatarEnergy said the blast occurred "during the start-up of operations at Ras Laffan Industrial City, which resulted in an explosion and fire at Barzan local gas supply facility".

'Internal explosion'

The interior ministry described the incident as an "internal explosion", adding in a later statement that a "technical malfunction" was to blame.

"A total of 54 people were injured in the incident that occurred at a factory in the Ras Laffan Industrial City", the ministry posted on X on Monday, adding that authorities were searching for 18 missing people. 

The emirate, one of the world's leading liquefied natural gas (LNG) producers alongside the US, Australia and Russia, ceased LNG production on March 2 after Iranian drone strikes hit key facilities. 

Further damage from attacks on March 18 was expected to cut LNG export capacity by 17 percent and take three to five years to repair, Qatar's Energy Minister Saad Al-Kaabi said at the time. 

Production shut down

The blast at the Ras Laffan industrial area could cause further chaos in global energy markets, particularly as Qatar remains one of the world's top natural gas producers.

Qatar shut down its production after Iran's chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz meant 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 its export terminal.

The scale of the damage remains unknown after the blast.