Pakistani, Indian nationals among 13 dead after 'technical malfunction' at Qatar LNG plant

Pakistani and Indian nationals were among 13 killed after an explosion at Qatar’s massive Ras Laffan liquefied natural gas (LNG) complex, attributed to a “technical malfunction”, Qatar’s Minister of State for Energy Saad al-Kaabi said on Monday. Authorities are investigating the cause of the explosion, which Saad al-Kaabi said was “an accident and not sabotage or hostile in nature”. He announced “the tragic loss of 13 lives of our people who hold Indian and Pakistani nationalities”. The state minister said that 66 people were reported injured and were receiving medical treatment, none of whom were in life-threatening condition. They hold Qatari, Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Kenyan, Ghanian, Tanzanian, Nigerian and Nepalese nationalities, he added. Pakistan’s embassy in Qatar expressed its deep sorrow over the incident and said it remained “available to facilitate Pakistani nationals and their families in connection with the incident”. The embassy added that it was in contact with the relevant Qatari authorities. Any members of the Pakistani community requiring assistance may contact the embassy in Doha at +974 6679 0329 and +974 6648 6213. Qatar’s interior ministry said the “technical malfunction” occurred on Sunday evening, with authorities confirming that the incident took place at the Barzan local gas supply facility. The explosion occurred as workers were restarting operations halted after an Iranian attack in March. The blast took place at a unit supplying gas to local firms and reverberated across Doha. Al-Kaabi, who is also the chief executive officer (CEO) of state-owned QatarEnergy, said an investigation had been launched into the incident. “It will not affect anything regarding export. It will not affect anything regarding our local requirements,” Kaabi stressed, adding that the explosion had “no environmental impact”. At the time of the explosion, AFP journalists in the Qatari capital heard the blast on the country’s northern coast, 64 kilometres away.