18 missing, 54 injured after factory explosion in Qatar's Ras Laffan

An explosion ripped through a factory in Qatar's Ras Laffan Industrial City late on Sunday, injuring at least 54 people and leaving 18 others unaccounted for, Qatar's interior ministry said Monday.



The blast occurred late Sunday in Ras Laffan, which hosts Qatar's main export terminal for natural gas about 80 km north of Doha, due to what authorities described as a technical incident.



In a statement, the ministry said search and rescue operations have been launched for the missing, with emergency response efforts ongoing.



In an earlier statement, authorities said no leaks posing a threat to public safety had been detected following the blast.



Ras Laffan was targeted by Iran during the war and remained shut for several weeks afterward. Qatari authorities said the blast occurred as workers were attempting to restart operations at the Barzan gas plant.