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13 Killed in Ras Laffan Explosion as Syria Expresses Solidarity With Qatar
Syria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates expressed solidarity with Qatar on June 23, 2026, after an explosion at the Barzan gas facility in Ras Laffan Industrial City killed 13 workers and injured 66. The ministry offered condolences to the families of the victims and wished the injured a speedy recovery. Qatar’s Energy Minister Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi attributed the June 21 incident to a technical accident during post-maintenance restart operations and confirmed it would not disrupt LNG exports.
Syria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates released the statement through official channels from Damascus to convey support during the aftermath. The ministry described the blast as a tragic occurrence and stressed the importance of bilateral ties between the two countries in facing such challenges. It stopped short of announcing any specific forms of assistance while focusing on sympathies for those affected and their families. The communication arrived as Qatari teams continued assessing damage at the site north of Doha.
Qatar’s Minister of State for Energy Affairs Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi outlined the casualty figures during a press briefing on June 22. Al-Kaabi reported that the 13 fatalities included Indian and Pakistani nationals while 66 others required medical treatment following the explosion and subsequent fire. The minister emphasized that the event stemmed from an internal technical malfunction rather than sabotage or external factors.
The Barzan local gas supply facility had remained shut since December 2025 for urgent maintenance and resumed activity only two days before the blast, according to Al-Kaabi. The minister stated that the incident posed no environmental risk and left the wider Ras Laffan complex along with associated port and logistical operations unaffected. Production across QatarEnergy’s other units continued without interruption as a result.
Ras Laffan Industrial City functions as Qatar’s primary hub for liquefied natural gas processing and export according to repeated assessments from the energy ministry. The facility supports a substantial portion of the country’s global LNG deliveries and ranks among the largest such sites worldwide. Al-Kaabi’s briefing underscored that the accident would not alter Qatar’s overall output commitments to international markets.
A Reuters dispatch characterized the blast as one of the deadliest accidents within the global gas industry in more than two decades. Qatari civil defence and internal security forces responded within minutes of the explosion reported at approximately 10:30 p.m. on June 21 with search and rescue efforts that later accounted for all missing personnel. The interior ministry provided successive updates on the casualty toll as operations progressed.
QatarEnergy has launched a full technical investigation into the root causes of the malfunction Al-Kaabi said. Officials continue to review maintenance records and restart procedures at the Barzan unit to prevent similar events. Updates from the inquiry are expected to inform future safety protocols across the industrial city.
