A total of 54 people have been injured and 18 are missing after an explosion occurred at a factory in Qatar's Ras Laffan Industrial City.
An "operational incident" during the start-up of operations at Ras Laffan Industrial City led to an explosion and fire at the Barzan local gas supply facility on Sunday evening, operator QatarEnergy said.
Emergency response teams were deployed immediately to contain the fire, which is now under control, it said on social media.
Qatar's interior ministry confirmed that the Qatar International Search and Rescue Group along with civil defence teams are conducting search operations for the missing persons.
"The incident was caused by a technical malfunction during operations at a factory in Ras Laffan Industrial City," the ministry said.
It added that there were "no leaks posing a threat to public safety".
QatarEnergy did not disclose if the plant was damaged. It supplies gas to the domestic market for power generation.
Ras Laffan, the world's largest liquefied natural gas (LNG) refinery, was hit by Iranian missile strikes in March, which severely destroyed parts of the complex. The complex supplies one fifth of the world's super-chilled fuel.
QatarEnergy said at the time that the strikes damaged Trains 4 and 6, removing 12.8 million tonnes a year, equivalent to about 17 per cent of Qatar's LNG exports from the market.
The company has been seeking to restore production at the facility and is expected to boost output once the Strait of Hormuz is fully reopened.
