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13 Dead in Gas Industry's Biggest Disaster in Decades
Newser • • world
Key Points:
- A deadly explosion at Qatar's largest gas facility in Ras Laffan killed at least 13 people and injured 66, with the blast visible as an orange glow in Doha's night sky.
- The incident occurred during efforts to restart the Barzan gas plant, which had resumed operations only two days prior after maintenance, and was described as a "technical accident" by Qatar's interior ministry.
- All fatalities were workers from India and Pakistan, and emergency teams quickly contained the fire, though the timeline for resuming full operations remains uncertain.
- Energy Minister Saad Sherida al-Kaabi emphasized the explosion was not due to sabotage or hostile action, and LNG exports are expected to continue unaffected despite the accident.
- An investigation into the cause is ongoing, marking the deadliest accident in the gas industry since a 2004 explosion in Algeria that killed 27 people.
