One person has died after the Svetlogorsk Pulp and Board Mill in southern Belarus caught fire today (October 19).

Footage shows smoke and flames billowing from a tank on the site as emergency services are heard close to the scene.

According to local reports, a 40-year-old employee of a third-party organization, who was carrying out repair work on the tank pictured, lost their life.

A tank was burning at the Svetlogorsk plant, and emergency responders were working.
According to preliminary information from rescuers, one person was killed — a 40-year-old employee of a third-party organization who was carrying out repair work on this tank.
At 10:38 rescuers went to the place of emergency. Upon arrival, the roof of a 250 cubic meter tank was observed to burn openly in the tall oil preparation area.

OAO Svetlogorsk Pulp and Board Mill has signed two memorandums on the delivery of 24,000 tonnes of bleached sulfate pulp to two Chinese companies. The documents were signed during the 2nd China International Import Expo in Shanghai, the press service of the Belarusian timber, woodworking, pulp and paper industry concern Bellesbumprom told BelTA.

In 2020 the Belarusian company will deliver 12,000 tonnes of pulp to each Chinese company to the tune of $10.8 million in total. The international trader – Ekman & Co AB – will help with that. OAO Svetlogorsk Pulp and Board Mill and this company have a long-term contract on pulp sales on foreign markets.
It is the second time the Svetlogorsk-based company has participated in the China International Import Expo. The expo represents an excellent venue for presentations and for promoting the Belarusian company's products on the promising Chinese market. It is to this country that the company already ships the largest amounts of pulp.
In January-September 2019 Svetlogorsk Pulp and Board Mill exported nearly $33 million worth of pulp, with China getting $31 million worth of the product. The rest of the shipments were split among Russia, Ukraine, Italy, Lithuania, Serbia, Slovenia, and France.
In January-September 2019 the export growth rate totaled 389.2% as against the same period of last year. In other words, the Belarusian company nearly quadrupled its export, the Bellesbumprom press service added.