As many as 13 people, including Indian and Pakistani nationals were killed and 66 others injured in a gas plant explosion in Qatar on Sunday, the country's energy minister Saad al-Kaabi said on Monday.
"I find myself today having to do something I have always hoped will never happen, and that is to announce, the tragic loss of 13 lives of our people who hold Indian and Pakistani nationalities. 66 people have been reported injured and are receiving medical treatment, none of whom are in life-threatening condition," he told reporters.
The minister also said that the deadly explosion was the result of an accident and that it would not affect the country's exports.
"This will not affect in any way our exports to the world," Saad al-Kaabi told reporters, adding that "this was an accident and not sabotage or hostile in nature."
The Barzan gas supply facility at the Ras Laffan industrial area had a capacity of almost 1.4 billion standard cubic feet of sales gas per day, which Qatar used primarily for local electricity generation and to power its crucial water desalination plants in the desert reaches of the Arabian Peninsula.
Qatar owns nearly all of the plant, with a small share also held by 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 “extensive” damage before it was extinguished, authorities said. Qatar had already halted production there because of Iranian attacks.
