Explosion as Qatar restarts gas export terminal hurts 54 and leaves 18 missing
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — An explosion ripped through Qatar’s major natural gas export terminal Sunday night as workers tried to maintain operations. Iran bombed this place during the warIt caused a fire that injured at least 54 people, while another 18 people were still missing hours later.
The explosion is there Ras Laffan industrial area could cause further chaos in global energy markets, especially Train It remains one of the world’s largest natural gas producers. Qatar halted its production after Iran’s control of the Strait of Hormuz meant it could not ship to its customers.
While negotiations for a permanent end to the war continued, Qatar began working to restart its export terminal after Iran loosened its control over the strait. State company QatarEnergy said on Sunday night that this work led to an explosion and fire at the Barzan gas supply facility.
While authorities initially said only a few people were injured, the extent of damage following the explosion was unknown. However, hours later, Qatar’s Ministry of Internal Affairs announced much larger casualty figures.
The Barzan facility had a sales capacity of approximately 1.4 billion standard cubic feet of gas per day; Qatar was using it primarily for local electricity generation and to power important water desalination plants in the desert regions of the Arabian Peninsula.
Qatar owns almost all of the facility, with a small share belonging to ExxonMobil. The oil company did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
In March, an Iranian missile hit Ras Laffan, sparking a fire that caused “major” damage before it was extinguished, officials said. Qatar had already stopped production there due to Iranian attacks.
Qatar shares its huge offshore natural gas field in the Persian Gulf with Iran. This natural gas production made Qatar rich. He used this money to raise his profile worldwide by hosting. 2022 FIFA World Cupcreate Al Jazeera news network and funding his work as an international mediator; talks in Switzerland Between Iran and the USA.
