A major fire and explosion hit the Amur Gas Chemical Complex (AGCC) in Russia’s far eastern Amur region on Tuesday. The plant was scheduled to open soon and was undergoing pre-commissioning work.
The plant said seven people were killed, including six Chinese nationals, while nine people remain missing. Another 152 people were treated for injuries, including 36 who were taken to hospitals, according to Reuters.
The video shows a massive fire at a large industrial plant. Huge flames can be seen coming from the facility, while thick black smoke rises high into the sky. Several parts of the plant appear to be on fire.
Russia’s Amur Gas Chemical Complex, slated to become one of the largest in the world, suffered a sudden explosion and fire this morning, severely damaging the facility.
The plant had been scheduled to open soon and was undergoing pre-commissioning work ups. pic.twitter.com/HqzINwQuS5
— OSINTtechnical (@Osinttechnical) August 25, 2026
The Amur complex is a joint venture between Russian petrochemical company Sibur and China’s state-owned oil and gas giant Sinopec. At the peak of construction, around 30,000 builders were involved in the project, according to the website.
AGCC is being built near the town of Svobodny in Russia’s Amur region. It is a roughly $10 billion project designed to become one of the world’s biggest facilities for making polyethene and polypropylene, according to the Moscow Times.
The complex is designed to process raw materials from the nearby Amur Gas Processing Plant (Amur GPP) and turn them into plastic-making materials. Once fully operational, the complex is expected to produce around 2.3 million tonnes of polyethene every year and 400,000 tonnes of polypropylene every year.
The complex is expected to receive raw materials from the Amur Gas Processing Plant.
According to the project figures, up to 2 million tonnes of ethane per year will come from the Amur GPP and around 1.5 million tonnes of LPG per year will also be supplied by the Amur GPP. These materials will be processed at AGCC to make polyethene and polypropylene.
The Amur Gas Chemical Complex covers around 325 hectares. Once the complex becomes operational, it is expected to create up to 1,000 new jobs.
The project has been under development for several years. Training of engineers for the Amur Gas Chemical Complex began in 2016. The complex entered the commissioning stage in 2024.
Russia’s Investigative Committee is investigating the deadly fire at the Amur Gas Chemical Complex. Officials are looking into whether industrial safety rules were violated and are trying to find out what caused
