Jaishankar mourns Indians killed in Qatar explosion, assures support to families

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar expressed deep sorrow on Tuesday following a devastating explosion at Qatar's massive Ras Laffan Industrial City, which tragically claimed the lives of 12 Indian nationals.

The blast occurred on Sunday night at the Barzan local gas supply facility during a high-stakes operational restart. State-owned QatarEnergy confirmed that the technical accident killed 13 people and injured 66 others.

Taking to social media platform X, Jaishankar offered his condolences and assured that the Indian government is working around the clock to assist the affected families.

"Deeply saddened by the loss of lives and injuries, including of Indian nationals, in the explosion at Qatar's Ras Laffan Industrial City," Jaishankar posted. "As further details emerge, our Embassy continues to be in touch with Qatari authorities, and is reaching out to render assistance to the families of Indian nationals affected by this tragedy. Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families."

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The Indian Embassy in Doha confirmed they are in close contact with Qatari local authorities to handle the immediate repatriation of the mortal remains of the deceased back to India at the earliest. Embassy officials noted that all injured Indian nationals are currently in stable condition and receiving appropriate medical treatment.

An operational accident amid regional strain

According to Qatar's Energy Minister Saad Sherida al-Kaabi, the victims who lost their lives were entirely of Indian and Pakistani nationalities, while the injured spanned multiple nationalities, including citizens of Qatar, Bangladesh, Kenya, Ghana, and Nepal.

QatarEnergy said the blast was strictly an "operational accident" rather than sabotage or a hostile act. Production at the Barzan gas facility—which primarily supplies pipeline gas for local electricity and desert water desalination plants—had been halted since December 2025 for urgent maintenance. The explosion tore through the complex just two days after operations were restarted.

While the incident marks one of the deadliest gas industry accidents in the region in over two decades, QatarEnergy assured global markets that its primary liquefied natural gas (LNG) export infrastructure and the massive Ras Laffan Port remain entirely unaffected.