SEVERAL INJURED AS EXPLOSION HITS QATAR’S RAS LAFFAN INDUSTRIAL ZONE
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By: Muftau Fatimo
A technical incident triggered an explosion on Sunday at Qatar’s Ras Laffan Industrial Area, leaving several people injured, according to the country’s Interior Ministry.
In a statement, the ministry said the blast occurred inside one of the factories located within the industrial zone following what it described as an internal technical incident.
Emergency response teams from the Civil Defence were immediately deployed to manage the situation and contain its impact.
The explosion was reportedly heard in Doha, with AFP journalists confirming the sound of the blast.
In a subsequent update, authorities said the incident was caused by a technical malfunction and confirmed that a number of people sustained injuries, although details regarding the number of casualties and the severity of their conditions were not disclosed.
From 20 kilometres (12 miles) south of Ras Laffan on Qatar’s north coast, an AFP journalist saw flames illuminating the night sky and a plume of smoke rising from the area, home to the world’s largest liquefied natural gas hub.
State-owned firm QatarEnergy said the blast occurred “during the start-up of operations at Ras Laffan Industrial City, which resulted in an explosion and fire at Barzan local gas supply facility”.
While Qatari authorities emphasised Sunday’s explosion was the result of an internal issue, the Ras Laffan hub had already been badly damaged in the recent war between the US, Israel and Iran.
Iranian attacks during the war targeted Gulf energy infrastructure including Ras Laffan, forcing Qatar to halt gas production.
The tiny emirate, one of the world’s leading liquefied natural gas producers alongside the United States, Australia and Russia, halted LNG production on March 2 after Iranian drone strikes hit key facilities.
Further damage from attacks on March 18 was expected to cut LNG export capacity by 17 percent and take three to five years to repair, Qatar Energy Minister Saad Al-Kaabi said at the time.
AFP
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