Malayali youth of Kozhikode among dead in explosion at Qatar gas plant

DOHA: A Malayali is among the dead in the explosion at a major natural gas plant in Qatar. The dead has been identified as Arjun (30) of Purameri at Nadapuram in Kozhikode. 12 Indians and a Pakistani national, including Arjun, died in the accident. 66 people sustained injuries.

An explosion and fire struck Ras Laffan industrial area on Sunday. The accident occurred while the plant was restarting operations after being closed following the US-Iran war. The explosion occurred at the Barzan Gas Supply Center. Qatar said the accident occurred during maintenance work and it was not an attack. It is reported that there was no gas leak outside the industrial center.

Qatar had suspended fuel production at Ras Laffan after Iran tightened control over the Strait of Hormuz. Iran relaxed restrictions on the Strait of Hormuz as talks to end the war progressed. Following this, Qatar began efforts to restart the plant. The accident occurred during this time.

Meantime, Qatar said the explosion would not affect natural gas production. It is not clear how much damage has been caused by the accident. It is reported that about 1.4 billion cubic feet of natural gas was produced from the Barzan plant per day. The entire plant is owned by Qatar. ExxonMobil owns a small stake in the plant.