Six Chinese nationals and one Russian national have died as a result of a fire at the Amur Gas Chemical Complex, which is under construction in the Russian Federation, the company’s press office has reported.
The whereabouts of a further nine Chinese nationals, employees of a contractor, remain unknown. Search and rescue operations are continuing.
A total of 152 people sought medical attention, of whom 36 were hospitalised. The remainder received outpatient treatment.
The fire at the plant’s construction site broke out on 25 August; within a few hours, the fire brigade had contained the blaze, and by the morning of 26 August it had been extinguished. According to the company, ‘residual process gases’ are currently being burned off at the site.
AGHK stated that the fire broke out “in an auxiliary process area of the pyrolysis unit” and that the complex’s main equipment was not damaged. The ‘112’ Telegram channel reported that the fire was caused by the explosion of a drum containing methanol.
The Amur Gas Chemical Complex is a joint venture between the Russian company SIBUR and the Chinese company Sinopec. The project was originally scheduled to be launched in 2024, but due to the inability to purchase equipment amid sanctions, the launch has been postponed to 2027. SIBUR states that this complex will become one of the world’s largest producers of polyethylene and polypropylene.