Thirteen people were killed, and sixty-six were injured after an explosion at Qatar's core LNG processing site of Ras Laffan on Sunday, Qatar's Interior Ministry said in a statement.
An incident during the start-up of operations at Ras Laffan Industrial City resulted in an explosion and fire at the Barzan local gas supply facility on Sunday evening, QatarEnergy said in a statement.
Emergency response teams were deployed to contain the fire, which was now under control, it said.
The interior ministry attributed the explosion to a "technical accident" and said there was no leak that posed a threat to public safety.
It said the Qatari International Search and Rescue Group, in cooperation with the civil defense teams, was conducting search operations for 18 people missing at the time.
On Monday, Qatari Energy Minister Saad bin Sherida Al Kaabi said that the incident was purely an accident and not a result of sabotage.
A loud boom followed by fire, many feared dead
QatarEnergy did not indicate whether the explosion had caused any damage to the plant, which supplies gas to the domestic market.
A Reuters witness earlier reported hearing a loud boom in the capital, Doha, south of the Ras Laffan facility.