A fatal industrial accident at MOL Group’s petrochemical complex in Tiszaujvaros has resulted in one death and nine injuries following an explosion that occurred during activities related to restarting a production unit.
The incident took place at MOL Petrolkemia’s Olefin 1 facility while maintenance and life-extension works were underway. According to preliminary information provided by company officials, the production unit was not operating at the time of the accident. Early findings suggest that a hydrocarbon-related explosion occurred within a pipeline system.
Emergency services received reports of the explosion at approximately 8:45 AM, while firefighters managed to bring the blaze under control about two hours later. Authorities confirmed that one person lost their life in the accident. Of the nine injured individuals, one remains in critical condition, four suffered serious injuries and four others sustained lighter burns.
MOL Chief Executive Officer Zsolt Hernadi stated that there was currently no evidence of external interference and described the event as an industrial accident. He added that emergency gas flaring procedures were activated immediately after the explosion and that the affected production unit was shut down as part of standard safety measures.
Investigations into the cause of the explosion are now underway, involving both state authorities and company specialists working together with government experts. Local media reports indicated that initial information pointed to a pyro-gasoline pipeline as the possible source of the blast. Disaster management authorities also confirmed that the incident did not pose a threat to nearby residents, despite large amounts of black smoke rising from the facility following the explosion.
MOL’s petrochemical complex in Tiszaujvaros is one of Hungary’s most important industrial sites, producing olefins such as ethylene and propylene, along with plastics, synthetic rubber and polyol products. The facility recently expanded with the addition of a new polyol production plant that entered operation in 2024.
