At least 13 people, including a dozen Indian nationals, were killed in an explosion at a massive Qatar gas complex Sunday, authorities said, adding it was the result of an industrial accident and not conflict-related.
The explosion at the Ras Laffan liquified natural gas (LNG) hub was caused “due to a technical malfunction during operations,” Qatar’s Ministry of Interior said in a statement on X on Monday. It added that 13 people had died, while 66 more were injured.
The Indian embassy in Doha said a dozen Indian nationals were killed in the explosion and that it was working to repatriate their bodies.
Qatari authorities have launched an investigation into the incident.
The Ras Laffan LNG hub is the world’s largest such facility. It was struck by Iranian missiles during the US-Israeli war with Iran, suffering “extensive damage.”
QatarEnergy is working to restart operations at the facility, which had been halted following the attack, according to Reuters.
Some background: There are about 9 million Indian nationals residing and working in the Gulf, according to India’s foreign ministry. Many of these migrants work as laborers powering major sectors including construction, hospitality and domestic work, yet they remain among its most exposed and unprotected demographic.
A large number of the people killed in Gulf countries since the start of the war have been South Asian nationals.
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