What happened

An operational incident during start-up caused an explosion and fire at QatarEnergy's Barzan plant. An initial Interior Ministry update reported 54 injured and 18 unaccounted for while rescue teams searched the site; a later ministerial briefing reported 13 workers killed and 66 injured. The fatalities were Indian and Pakistani nationals, while the injured included people from Qatar and several African and Asian countries. Qatar's energy minister said the event was accidental and not sabotage; the plant had restarted two days earlier after being shut for urgent maintenance since December 2025. Emergency teams extinguished the fire. Other LNG facilities, Ras Laffan Port, logistics, LNG production and exports were unaffected.

When cited sources give different casualty, damage or spill figures for this event, they’re reported side by side above rather than merged into one number. See how confidence levels work.