A massive, accidental explosion followed by a blaze killed 13 workers and injured 66 others at Qatar's key natural gas export terminal in Ras Laffan on Sunday night, according to Qatar's Minister of State for Energy Affairs and Qatar Energy CEO Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi.
The accident took place as workers were resuming operations at the Barzan gas supply facility in the Ras Laffan LNG complex in the north of the country which according to Al-Kaabi, was first restarted two days ago.
Minister Al-Kaabi told a news conference in Doha on Monday afternoon that the explosion "was an accident, and not sabotage or hostile in nature," and that the authorities "started a full investigation to determine the cause of this unfortunate incident."
He added that Qatar's LNG exports will not be impacted by the accident, as "Qatar Energy LNG facilities, Ras Laffan port, other logistical operations in Ras Laffan remain unaffected as a result of this explosion in fire and this will not affect export capabilities."
According to Qatar's minister, the casualties were of Indian and Pakistani nationalities, while the 66 injured are receiving medical treatment, with none of them in life-threatening condition.
