At least 13 people, including more than a dozen Indian nationals, were killed in an explosion at a large gas facility in Qatar on Sunday, authorities said, adding that it was not conflict-related and was the result of an industrial accident.
The explosion at the Ras Laffan liquefied natural gas (LNG) hub was “caused by a technical failure during operations,” Qatar’s Interior Ministry said in a statement on Monday. An additional 13 people were killed and 66 injured.
The Indian embassy in Doha said more than a dozen Indians were killed in the explosion and efforts were being made to repatriate their bodies.
Qatari authorities have launched an investigation into the incident.
The Ras Laffan LNG hub is the largest such facility in the world. During the US-Israel war with Iran, it was attacked by Iranian missiles and suffered “severe damage.”
According to Reuters, Qatar Energy is working to restart operations at facilities that were suspended following the attack.
Background: According to India’s Ministry of External Affairs, approximately 9 million Indians live and work in the Gulf. Many of these migrants work as support workers in key sectors such as construction, hospitality and domestic work, but they remain among the most at-risk and unprotected demographics.
Since the start of the war, many of those killed in the Gulf have been South Asians.
