Bangladesh is communicating with Russian authorities through its Mission in Moscow to ascertain whether any Bangladeshi nationals were affected by a fire at the construction site of the Amur Gas Chemical Complex (AGCC) in Russia’s Amur Region.

“We will update you if we receive any specific information. We are working on it,” a diplomatic source told a media on Thursday.

The incident has left seven people dead, including one Russian national and six Chinese nationals, while the fate of nine other Chinese workers employed by a contractor remains unknown.

The bodies of four Chinese contractor employees were recovered during search and rescue operations, according to the latest information on the incident. Search and rescue efforts are still underway.

The AGCC is one of the world’s largest facilities for producing polyethylene and polypropylene, products that are in demand in both Russian and global markets. Once completed, the complex is expected to have the capacity to produce up to 2.7 million tonnes of finished products annually.

Following the fire, specialists are completing the burnout of residual process gases under supervision, while an investigation into the scene has begun.

A total of 152 people sought medical attention after the incident. Of them, 36 people with injuries of varying severity were hospitalised, while the remaining 116 received medical care without requiring hospitalisation.

A special Il-76 aircraft operated by Russia’s Ministry of Emergency Situations arrived to transport some of the hospitalised victims to federal medical facilities. The victims and their families are also receiving psychological support.

Meanwhile, specialists from the Amur Region Office of Rospotrebnadzor and the Center for Hygiene and Epidemiology are conducting laboratory monitoring of atmospheric air at the edge of the residential area in Svobodny.