Inferno in Qatar: Massive Explosion Rocks Key Gas Hub, Injures 54 and Leaves 18 Missing.

A powerful explosion ripped through a factory in Qatar’s strategically important Ras Laffan Industrial City on Sunday night, injuring at least 54 people and leaving 18 others unaccounted for, raising fresh concerns over safety and stability at one of the world’s most critical energy hubs.

The blast, which sent towering flames and thick plumes of smoke into the night sky, occurred at a facility within the sprawling industrial complex that serves as the backbone of Qatar’s liquefied natural gas industry. Witnesses reported seeing the glow of the fire from several kilometres away, while emergency crews rushed to contain the blaze and search for those still missing.

In a statement issued on Monday, Qatar’s Interior Ministry said the explosion was caused by a “technical malfunction” during operations at the site. Authorities described the incident as an internal explosion and confirmed that rescue teams were continuing intensive search efforts for 18 individuals whose whereabouts remain unknown.

According to the ministry, a total of 54 people sustained injuries of varying degrees in the incident. The condition of the injured was not immediately disclosed.

State-owned energy giant QatarEnergy revealed that the explosion occurred during the restart of operations at Ras Laffan Industrial City. The company said the blast and subsequent fire erupted at the Barzan local gas supply facility, a key component of Qatar’s energy infrastructure.

The dramatic incident comes months after Ras Laffan suffered significant damage during the recent US-Iran conflict. Iranian drone and missile strikes targeted energy facilities across the Gulf region, forcing Qatar to suspend liquefied natural gas production and triggering concerns about global energy supplies.

An AFP journalist located approximately 20 kilometres from the industrial zone reported seeing flames illuminate the horizon and a massive cloud of smoke rising above the facility, underscoring the scale of the explosion.

Qatar, one of the world's leading LNG exporters alongside the United States, Australia and Russia, halted production on March 2 after Iranian attacks struck critical infrastructure. The country’s Energy Minister, Saad Al-Kaabi, had previously warned that additional strikes later in March could reduce the nation’s LNG export capacity by as much as 17 per cent, with repairs expected to take between three and five years.

The latest explosion is likely to intensify scrutiny of recovery efforts at Ras Laffan, which remains central to Qatar’s economy and the global energy market. Authorities have launched an investigation to determine the exact cause of the incident, while emergency responders continue to search for the missing and assess the extent of the damage.

As rescue operations continue, the disaster has reignited fears about the vulnerability of critical energy infrastructure in the Gulf, a region already grappling with the aftershocks of recent geopolitical tensions and attacks on key oil and gas installations.