新华社洛杉矶9月12日电（记者谭晶晶）美国蓝色起源公司的“新谢泼德”飞行器12日进行不载人太空试飞，火箭在发射后出现故障并坠毁，没有造成人员伤亡。
A fire breaks out at the construction site of the Amur Gas Chemical Complex (AGCC) in Russia's Far Eastern Amur Oblast on August 25, 2026. Photo: screenshot from a video in report by the Xinhua News AgencyA fire at the construction site of the Amur Gas Chemical Complex (AGCC) in Russia's Far Eastern Amur Oblast has left seven people dead, including one Russian national and 6 Chinese nationals, while 152 people were injured and nine workers remain missing, according to the latest information released by the company on Wednesday. A staff member from the Chinese Consulate General in Khabarovsk told the Global Times that the consulate has not yet independently confirmed the company's reported figure and is awaiting further updates from a working group it has sent to the site.
The consulate will also provide all possible assistance in handling matters related to the Chinese nationals who lost their lives in the incident, the staff member said.
According to the latest AGCC release on its official website on Wednesday, the bodies of four Chinese nationals, all employees of a contractor, were found during search and rescue operations. The discovery brought the confirmed death toll to seven, including one Russian national and six Chinese nationals.
The whereabouts of another nine Chinese nationals, also employees of a contractor, remain unknown, and search and rescue operations are continuing, the company release said.
In a phone interview with the Global Times on Wednesday, a staff member from the Chinese Consulate General said the consulate's working group is continuing to follow developments.
The staff member said the exact casualty figures were still being verified. Given the complexity of the situation at the site, the consulate is awaiting further information from its working group.
The working group will also coordinate follow-up matters, while the consulate will make every effort to provide the greatest possible assistance to the Chinese nationals who lost their lives and related parties, according to the staff member.
The company release said a total of 152 people had sought medical assistance following the incident. After medical examinations, 36 people were hospitalized with injuries of varying severity.
The fire at the AGCC construction site has been extinguished, while specialists are completing the controlled burning of residual process gases. An examination of the accident site has also begun, according to the release.
According to company's website, the AGCC is a joint venture company between SIBUR and China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation (Sinopec) for the production of polyethylene and polypropylene. The complex is capable of producing 2.3 million tons of polyethylene and 0.4 million tons of polypropylene per year.
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二 | 这次试飞在蓝色起源公司位于美国得克萨斯州西部的一处发射场进行。该公司在网站上介绍说，火箭在发射后不久出现故障，太空舱逃生系统成功启动，将没有载人的太空舱与火箭分离。随后火箭坠毁于地面，太空舱打开降落伞落回地面，没有人员伤亡。
三 | 据介绍，蓝色起源公司自2012年起对“新谢泼德”飞行器及其安全系统进行飞行测试，这是“新谢泼德”飞行器第23次太空试飞。“新谢泼德”飞行器的设计目标是将宇航员和科研载荷送入太空，其飞行高度可达约107千米，超过距地表约100千米的“卡门线”，这是国际航天界定义的地球大气层与太空的边界。蓝色起源公司表示，在此次试飞前，“新谢泼德”飞行器已连续成功完成22次飞行测试，其中包括3次逃生测试，表明飞船的逃生系统能够在飞行任何阶段安全启动。
