Seven dead, nine Chinese workers missing after fire at gas chemical complex in Russia

Six Chinese nationals were killed and nine others remain missing after a fire broke out at a gas chemical complex in Russia’s far eastern Amur region, according to the plant.The fire broke out on Tuesday at the Amur Gas Chemical Complex and was extinguished, the plant said on Telegram on Wednesday.A total of seven people were killed and 152 were treated for injuries, including 36 who were taken to hospitals, according to the plant, as cited by Reuters.An emergency services aircraft also arrived to transport injured people to other hospitals in Russia.The complex is a joint project of Russian petrochemical company Sibur and Chinese oil and gas company Sinopec. It has not yet begun operations and was preparing to start production.Russia investigates cause of deadly fireRussia’s Investigative Committee is investigating the incident as a potential breach of industrial safety regulations and is working to establish the cause of the fire, Reuters reported.The incident occurred at a major industrial facility that relies on foreign labour, including Chinese workers, for its construction.Russia frequently employs foreign workers on large industrial and infrastructure projects.The Amur Gas Chemical Complex describes itself as one of the world’s largest producers of polyethene and polypropylene.Once operational, the facility is expected to produce 2.3 million metric tonnes of polyethene and 400,000 tonnes of polypropylene annually.The project is being developed by Sibur and Sinopec as part of their cooperation in Russia’s far eastern Amur region.Catch the latest World News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.