Fifty-four people were injured and 18 others remain missing following an explosion that occurred on Sunday evening in Qatar’s Ras Laffan industrial area, home to the world’s largest liquefied natural gas (LNG) hub, as a result of a “technical incident,” Qatar’s Ministry of Interior announced on Monday.

The ministry said in a post on X that “the total number of people injured in the incident that took place at one of the factories in the Ras Laffan industrial area is 54,” adding that “the competent authorities are conducting search operations for 18 missing persons.” It did not specify the severity of the injuries.

In a statement issued on Sunday evening, the ministry said that “an internal explosion occurred in one of the factories in the Ras Laffan industrial area following a technical incident.” It later clarified that “the incident resulted from a technical failure” and “caused several injuries, without any leak posing a risk to the safety of individuals.”

Circulated image of the explosion in Doha (X)

Approximately 20 kilometers south of Ras Laffan, located on Qatar’s northern coast, an Agence France-Presse journalist reported seeing flames illuminating the sky and a cloud of smoke rising over the area.

QatarEnergy, the state-owned energy company, said in a statement that “an operational incident occurred during the start of operations in Ras Laffan Industrial City, leading to an explosion and fire at the Barzan plant.”

Qatari authorities stressed that Sunday’s explosion was caused by a technical failure, noting that the Ras Laffan facility had previously sustained extensive damage from Iranian strikes launched in response to U.S.-Israeli attacks.

The attacks on Gulf energy infrastructure, including the Ras Laffan facility, prompted Qatar to suspend LNG production.

The Gulf state, one of the world’s leading LNG producers alongside the United States, Australia, and Russia, halted LNG production on March 2 after Iranian drone strikes targeted key facilities.

Qatar’s Minister of Energy, Saad bin Sherida Al-Kaabi, said that damage resulting from subsequent attacks on March 18 reduced the country’s LNG export capacity by 17%. He added that repairs to the affected LNG facilities would take between three and five years.