A massive explosion at one of the world’s largest liquefied natural gas (LNG) plants in the industrial city of Ras Laffan in Qatar has sparked a massive fire.

According to Arab media, the explosion occurred at the Barzan Gas Supply Center as the plant was restarting operations after being shut down during the Iran-Iraq war.

Qatari officials said the explosion was caused by a technical fault, which caused a massive fire in the plant that quickly spread.

Civil defense and emergency response teams responded quickly to the blaze and shifted the injured to hospital. Thirteen people were confirmed dead and 66 injured.

The dead included Pakistanis and Indian nationals, while the injured included citizens of Qatar, Tanzania, India, Pakistan, Guinea, Nepal, Bangladesh, Kenya and Nigeria.

The LNG company said a technical investigation has been launched to determine the causes of the explosion and fire. The explosion did not affect export infrastructure or gas supplies.

Qatar Energy said that more details about the real cause of the explosion and the full identity of the deceased will be released after the investigation is completed.

Qatar Energy has assured global markets that despite the accident, Qatar’s LNG exports, gas processing activities and Ras Laffan Port are operating as usual.

It should be noted that Ras Laffan Industrial City is one of the world’s most important energy centers, where major LNG production, processing and export projects are located.

It should be noted that Qatar is among the world’s largest exporters of liquefied natural gas, so this major accident that occurred at this center has created uncertainty in global energy markets.