At least 13 people have lost their lives and another 66 have been injured after a strong explosion registered in a plant located in the industrial area of Ras Laffan, north of Doha, the capital of Qatar.
The Minister of Energy, Saad Sherida al Kaab, has detailed this balance of dead and injured caused by the detonation and subsequent fire at the Barzan gas supply facility, in said area, an event that occurred on Sunday night around 10:30 p.m. (local time).
The Energy official stressed that it was "an accident and not sabotage or (an act) of a hostile nature," although he confirmed the launch of an official investigation to clarify the exact origin of the incident.
Ras Laffan is one of the key liquefied natural gas production complexes in the region and was the target of an attack during the conflict that pitted, on the one hand, the United States and Israel and, on the other, Iran. Qatar held Iran responsible for said aggression, while Tehran maintained that its actions were directed against interests linked to the United States.