Fire at Russia’s Amur Gas Chemical Complex — one of the world’s largest chemical plants — kills 15
A large-scale fire at the construction site of the Amur Gas Chemical Complex (AGCC), which is being readied for launch, has killed 15 people, and search-and-rescue operations have now ended, the company’s press service said.
One victim was a Russian citizen; the other 14 were foreign nationals. The company said on August 26 that six of those killed were Chinese nationals and that all of the victims worked for contracting organizations.
Thirty-nine people remain hospitalized. A day earlier, Meduza reported that a total of 152 people had been injured in the fire.
The fire at AGCC began on August 25 at an auxiliary section of the pyrolysis unit. The complex’s main equipment was undamaged, the company said. The blaze was not extinguished until a full day later.
The causes of the fire have not been stated. A criminal case has been opened over industrial safety violations at hazardous production facilities (Part 1 of Article 217 of Russia’s Criminal Code).
AGCC is among the largest polyethylene and polypropylene plants under construction in the world, with a combined capacity of 2.7 million metric tons of finished product per year. The plant is expected to produce its first polyethylene in the third quarter of 2026 and its first polypropylene in 2027.
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