Authorities say 54 injured and 18 missing following explosion at Qatar LNG site

Authorities said that 54 people were injured, and 18 others were missing following an explosion on Sunday at Qatar's main LNG processing site of Ras Laffan. In a statement, QatarEnergy said that an incident occurred during the'start-up' of operations in Ras Laffan. This led to a fire and explosion at Barzan Local Gas Supply Facility on Sunday evening. It said that emergency response teams had been deployed to contain the fire. In a press release, the Interior Ministry of Qatar said that 54 people were injured and 18 are missing. The explosion was attributed to a technical accident and the ministry said there wasn't a leak that would have put public safety at risk. The Qatari International Search and Rescue Group was conducting searches for 18 missing persons in collaboration with civil defence teams.

QatarEnergy has not indicated whether the explosion caused any damage to a?plant that supplies gas for the domestic market.

A witness reported earlier that a 'loud explosion was heard south of the Ras Laffan plant in Doha. Reporting by Andrew Mills; Editing by Mark Porter and Edmund Klamann; David Dolan.

(source: Reuters)