An explosion at Qatar's Ras Laffan Industrial City, one of the world's most important liquefied natural gas (LNG) hubs, left 54 people injured and 18 others missing on Sunday. The incident occurred at the Barzan local gas supply facility during the start-up of operations, according to QatarEnergy.

Qatar's Interior Ministry confirmed the casualties in a statement posted on X. The ministry said, "A total of 54 people were injured in the incident that occurred at a factory in the Ras Laffan Industrial City", adding that efforts were underway to trace 18 people who remained unaccounted for.

Officials described the incident as an "internal explosion". The ministry later stated that a "technical malfunction" was responsible for the blast. Emergency response teams were immediately deployed to the site following the explosion and the fire that broke out afterwards.

QatarEnergy said the explosion and fire occurred on Sunday evening at the Barzan gas supply facility. The company added that emergency crews quickly responded and managed to bring the fire under control. However, the full extent of the damage caused by the explosion remains unclear.

Initial reports suggested that only a small number of people had been injured. Several hours later, authorities released a significantly higher casualty figure, confirming that 54 people had suffered injuries and that 18 others were still missing.

The explosion has raised concerns about the global energy market. Qatar is one of the world's leading producers and exporters of natural gas. Any disruption at Ras Laffan, the country's main LNG processing and export complex, could affect energy supplies and prices worldwide.

The incident comes at a time when Qatar is already facing challenges in restoring production at the facility. The country had suspended production after restrictions linked to Iran's actions in the Strait of Hormuz disrupted shipments and prevented supplies from reaching customers.

Ras Laffan had also suffered significant damage during the US-Iran conflict. Iranian strikes on Gulf energy facilities forced Qatar to halt gas production earlier this year. The Gulf nation, which ranks among the world's largest LNG producers alongside the United States, Australia and Russia, stopped liquefied natural gas production on March 2 after Iranian drone attacks hit major facilities.

Qatar's Energy Minister Saad Al-Kaabi had previously warned that additional damage caused by attacks on March 18 would further impact production. He said the attacks were expected to reduce LNG export capacity by 17 per cent and that repairs could take between three and five years to complete.

Despite these challenges, Qatar has been working to restart operations at Ras Laffan, which is considered the world's largest liquefied natural gas export facility. Energy markets around the world are closely monitoring the recovery process. A faster return to normal operations could help ease pressure on global energy supplies and reduce prices.

Qatar has set a target of restoring 80 per cent of production at Ras Laffan within two months of the Strait of Hormuz becoming safe for shipping once again. The latest explosion could complicate those recovery efforts and increase uncertainty surrounding the facility's return to full capacity.