An explosion in Qatar’s Ras Laffan Industrial City has killed 13 people, including 12 Indian nationals, and has resulted in one of the deadliest industrial accidents involving Indian workers in the Gulf in recent years. The blast and fire at the Barzan gas plant, which is run by QatarEnergy, happened on Sunday night and this immediately triggered an emergency response that drew up an investigation into the cause of the disaster.
India expressed sorrow over the tragedy in a statement on Tuesday. Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesman Randhir Jaiswal confirmed the deaths of 12 Indians and said the government is working with Qatari authorities to identify and retrieve people’s bodies. He said dozens of people from various nations were injured in the accident. “We lost 12 of our nationals in the tragedy,” Jaiswal said, adding that all injured persons are safe and receiving treatment.
India extends its support to the families of victims.
S. Jaishankar also expressed his sincere grief at the loss of lives, describing the loss as deeply saddening. The Indian Embassy in Doha has been working closely with local authorities and families affected by the recent incident, assisting them with everything they need.
The embassy had earlier said the injured were in a stable state and were receiving appropriate medical treatment. The tragedy has sent a shockwave through India's expatriate community in Qatar, which has thousands of Indians in the energy, construction and industrial sectors.
QatarEnergy confirms Casualties and Investigation
QatarEnergy confirmed 13 people died and 66 others were wounded in the explosion and fire. The company said none of the injured is in life-threatening condition. The company added that those who died were Indian and Pakistani and the injured were citizens of Qatar, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Kenya, Ghana, Tanzania, Nigeria and Nepal.
QatarEnergy said the incident was an operational accident and not sabotage or hostile activity. The Barzan gas facility had been shut down since December 2025 for urgent maintenance work and resumed operations only two days before the explosion.
Emergency teams from QatarEnergy and Qatar’s Civil Defence responded quickly to contain the fire and prevent further destruction, the report said. Now the facility and surrounding infrastructure is being examined, authorities say.
Preliminary findings point to technical malfunction
Qatar’s Ministry of Interior said preliminary investigations suggest a technical malfunction during operations might have triggered the explosion. Rescue operations were launched immediately after the incident and all injured individuals were evacuated for medical treatment. Search operations at the site have since been completed.
Not even a single gas leak or environmental hazard has been detected since the explosion, the ministry said. Security agencies and technical experts are still investigating the cause of the accident and possible safety failures.
However, QatarEnergy said that the country's LNG facilities, Ras Laffan Port and logistics as well as export system remained operational and unaffected. With investigators still working to find out the true cause of the tragedy, India and Qatar are making every effort to support the families and hold the culprit accountable for the disaster.
