One dead, several injured after blast at Hungarian industrial site

An explosion has occurred at MOL Group’s petrochemical plant in Tiszaújváros, Hungary, leaving one person dead and several others seriously injured. Energy Minister István Kapitány is on his way to the scene together with Zsolt Hernádi, Chairman and CEO of MOL, Prime Minister Péter Magyar announced on Facebook.

According to MOL’s statement, the explosion occurred during the restart of the Olefin 1 unit at MOL Petrolkémia’s site. The incident is currently under investigation.

In a Facebook post, Tiszaújvárosi Krónika informed residents that, according to preliminary information, the explosion involved a pyro-gasoline pipeline. The disaster management authority said the incident does not pose a threat to local residents. Photos attached to the post show thick black smoke rising from the site.

Dávid Dojcsák, spokesperson for disaster management in Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén County, told MTI that firefighting operations are ongoing and a mobile laboratory has been deployed to the scene to monitor conditions.

MOL’s Tiszaújváros petrochemical complex is one of Hungary’s major industrial sites and includes integrated olefin production (ethylene and propylene), downstream plastics manufacturing (polyethylene and polypropylene), a synthetic rubber facility, and a polyol plant inaugurated in 2024.

By Vafa Guliyeva