Fire at Russia's Amur Gas Chemical Complex kills 15
A major fire at the under-construction Amur Gas Chemical Complex in Russia has killed 15 people, including six Chinese nationals, with search and rescue efforts now concluded.
A large fire at the construction site of Russia's Amur Gas Chemical Complex (AGCC) has left 15 people dead, the company's press service reported, adding that search-and-rescue operations have now concluded.
One of the victims was a Russian national, while the remaining 14 were foreign citizens. On August 26, the company said six of those killed were Chinese nationals and that all victims had been employed by contracting firms working at the site.
A further 39 people remain in hospital. The previous day, reports indicated that 152 people in total had been injured in the blaze.
How the fire unfolded
The fire broke out on August 25 in an auxiliary section of the plant's pyrolysis unit. According to the company, the complex's main equipment escaped damage. It took roughly a full day before the flames were brought under control.
The cause of the fire has not yet been disclosed. Authorities have opened a criminal case over alleged violations of industrial safety rules at hazardous production facilities, under Part 1 of Article 217 of Russia's Criminal Code.
AGCC ranks among the world's largest polyethylene and polypropylene plants currently under construction, with a planned combined output of 2.7 million metric tons of finished product annually. The facility is expected to begin producing polyethylene in the third quarter of 2026, with polypropylene production slated to follow in 2027.
