About 54 people were injured and 18 people were reported missing following a explosion in Qatar's liquefied natural gas export hub in Ras Laffan Industrial City on Sunday, the country's Interior Ministry said.
State-owned energy firmQatarEnergy said an explosion and fire occurred at the Barzan local gas supply facility. The incident occurred during the startup of operations and the fire was brought under control by emergency response teams, the company said in a statement.
According to a social media post by the Interior Ministry, an internal explosion was reported at a factory due to a technical malfunction during operations but there were no leaks threatening public safety, the ministry said.
A search is being conducted for the missing people by the Qatar International Search and Rescue Group of the Internal Security Force, and Civil Defence teams, the ministry added.