At least seven people, including six Chinese nationals, have been killed in a major fire at a gas-chemical complex under construction in Russia's eastern Amur region. Another nine workers remain missing following the accident.
The complex's management confirmed the deaths on Wednesday (August 26), according to Reuters.
A total of 152 people were seriously injured or suffered burns in the incident. Of them, 36 were hospitalized on doctors' advice. An emergency rescue aircraft and a medical team have arrived at the site to transport critically injured workers to specialized hospitals in other regions for advanced treatment.
The Amur Gas Chemical Complex is being developed as a joint investment project involving Russian industrial company Sibur and China's state-owned oil and gas giant Sinopec. The facility is designed to become one of the world's largest production centers for polyethylene and polypropylene.
The complex has not yet officially begun production, although preparations were underway for its launch. Large Russian infrastructure projects frequently employ foreign workers, including many Chinese nationals.
Russia's powerful Investigative Committee has launched a high-level investigation into the incident. Authorities are examining whether industrial safety regulations were properly followed and determining the exact source of the fire.
Once fully operational, the Amur complex is expected to have annual production capacity of approximately 2.3 million tonnes of polyethylene and 400,000 tonnes of polypropylene.
