RUSSIA – Seven dead and nine missing after fire at Siberian petrochemical complex
Seven people have died and nine remain missing after a major fire at the Amur Gas Chemical Complex in Russia’s eastern Amur region.
The incident occurred on Tuesday, 25 August 2026, at the remote petrochemical facility near the Chinese border. More than 150 workers were injured, prompting a large-scale emergency response.
By Wednesday, emergency crews had recovered four additional bodies from the site, bringing the confirmed death toll to seven. Six of the victims were Chinese nationals, while one was Russian. Rescue teams are continuing their search for nine Chinese contractors who have not yet been accounted for.
Medical services treated 152 injured workers after the fire. Thirty-six people were transferred to hospitals across the region for specialist treatment, while an emergency medical aircraft was used to transport some of the most seriously injured to major medical facilities.
The main fire has now been extinguished. Emergency personnel remain at the complex, where they are supervising the controlled burning of residual technical gases to reduce further risks.
Initial inspections suggest that the facility’s main production equipment was not affected by the blaze. Investigators believe the fire began in a support section of the complex rather than in the main production area.
Authorities have also reported that air-quality monitoring around nearby communities found no evidence of toxic chemical contamination following the incident.
The Amur Gas Chemical Complex is a large-scale partnership between Russian petrochemical company Sibur and Chinese state-owned company Sinopec. Once fully operational, the facility is expected to become one of the world’s largest producers of polyethylene and polypropylene.
The complex has relied extensively on foreign contractors during its development and preparations for full production.
Meanwhile, Russian federal investigators have opened a criminal investigation into the fire. The inquiry will focus on whether safety regulations were followed before the incident and whether any breaches contributed to the disaster.
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