An explosion rocked the Ras Laffan industrial city north of Doha on Sunday, injuring an unspecified number of people at the world’s largest liquefied natural gas processing complex. Qatar’s interior ministry said the blast was caused by a technical malfunction and that no hazardous leaks had been detected, posing no threat to public safety. State-owned QatarEnergy, which operates the site, said the incident occurred during a start-up procedure and that the resulting fire was swiftly brought under control.

The official public account shifted within hours. An initial ministry statement, carried by several Arab-language outlets, reported no injuries. An updated communiqué later confirmed that “a number of injuries” had occurred, without specifying how many or their severity. Civil defence personnel were deployed immediately and remain on the scene, monitoring for any delayed risks.

Divergent narratives emerged in regional coverage. A source with knowledge of the matter told Reuters that the explosion took place at the Barzan gas plant within Ras Laffan and was due to an “operational error,” though authorities did not publicly confirm the exact location. In Russian media, the incident was immediately contextualised against a backdrop of earlier disruptions: Iranian strikes on the same complex in March 2026 caused significant damage, cutting export capacity by an estimated 17 percent and triggering force majeure declarations from buyers Shell and TotalEnergies. Doha has not suggested any connection to those attacks, and the technical explanation remains the official line.

The Ras Laffan hub, which handles roughly one-fifth of global LNG supply, has been a focus of heightened attention since the earlier attacks. Recovery from those hits is expected to take several years. Sunday’s blast, however, has not interrupted overall production, according to QatarEnergy statements. The interior ministry said the situation is under control and an investigation is underway.