At least seven workers were killed and dozens of others were injured after a fire broke out at the Amur Gas Chemical Complex (AGCC) in Russia’s Far East, the company said Tuesday.

Located near the Amur region town of Svobodny, AGCC is a $10 billion joint venture between Russian petrochemical giant Sibur and China’s state-owned oil and gas company Sinopec. Designed to become one of the world’s largest polymer manufacturing facilities, the complex was undergoing final testing ahead of its planned launch in early 2027.

In a statement on Tuesday, AGCC said the fire broke out in a support section of a pyrolysis unit. The company said primary equipment was not damaged.

Nineteen workers were initially hospitalized with moderate to severe injuries. Another 104 workers received treatment for minor cuts and bruises, the company said.

By Wednesday, AGCC said it recovered the bodies of six Chinese workers and one Russian. Nine Chinese contactors remain missing, it added.

Consumer protection authorities said local air quality monitoring detected no toxic chemical spikes in Svobodny. The Amur region’s government said the incident posed no threat to people living in nearby towns.

A commission has been formed to investigate the cause of the fire, AGCC said.

Source: The Moscow Times