The United Arab Emirates has expressed its solidarity with the sisterly state of Qatar following an explosion at a factory in Ras Laffan Industrial City that resulted in a number of casualties.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement that the UAE stands alongside the government of Qatar and its brotherly people in this unfortunate incident, wishing a speedy recovery to all those injured. Egypt also expressed its full solidarity with Qatar.
Egypt's Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement affirming its support for Qatar at this difficult time, expressing confidence in the ability of the competent Qatari authorities to handle the repercussions of the incident and contain its effects.
13 people were killed and dozens injured in an explosion at Qatar's vast Ras Laffan liquefied natural gas complex, which occurred while workers were restarting operations that had been suspended following the Iranian attack. Authorities attributed the explosion to a technical incident at the Barzan domestic gas supply facility, stating there was no threat to public safety.
Qatar's Ministry of Energy said in a statement that 13 people were killed and 66 were injured. It added that the export capacities of the terminal were unaffected and that there was no risk to the environment. QatarEnergy did not disclose details about the location of the explosion within the facility or the extent of the damage, but Saad Al-Kaabi, Chief Executive of QatarEnergy and Qatar's Minister of Energy, said an investigation into the incident had been launched.
Al-Kaabi stressed that the explosion would not affect exports to the world in any way, and that this was an accident and not an act of sabotage or a hostile operation. The explosion shook windows and was felt by residents in central Doha, causing panic among the population more than 70 kilometres from Ras Laffan.