Search and rescue operations at the construction site of the Amur Gas Chemical Complex (AGCC), where a fire broke out on 25 August, have been completed, the Russian Service reports, citing the company’s press office. According to the company, the death toll has risen to 15.
Fourteen foreigners and one Russian national were killed – all of them were employees of contracting organisations. The report does not specify the nationalities of the foreign victims. On 26 August, the company reported that Chinese nationals were among the dead and missing.
A total of 152 people sought medical attention. Thirty-nine injured people remain in hospital.
“Amur Gas Chemical Plant has decided to make additional payments, beyond those required by law, to the families of the deceased and to the injured who have been hospitalised,” the statement reads.
The company stated that “the fire broke out in an auxiliary processing area of the pyrolysis plant” and that the main equipment of the complex was not damaged. The local Telegram channel ‘112’ reported that the fire was caused by an explosion in a barrel of 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 until 2027. SIBUR states that this complex will become one of the world’s largest producers of polyethylene and polypropylene.