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Explosion at MOL petrochemical plant in Tiszaújváros kills 1

Published 22 May 2026

An explosion at a petrochemical plant in eastern Hungary on Friday killed one person and seriously injured several others, according to company and government officials. The incident occurred at the MOL Group facility in Tiszaújváros during the restart of a key production unit.

Prime Minister Péter Magyar confirmed the fatality and injuries in a social media post, expressing condolences to the family of the deceased and wishing the injured a speedy recovery. He stated that seven people suffered serious burn injuries. Economy and Energy Minister István Kapitány and MOL's executive chairman, Zsolt Hernádi, were traveling to the site.

The company said the explosion happened during the restart of the Olefin 1 plant, a steam cracker unit. Minister Kapitány provided further detail, stating that according to preliminary information, a compressor exploded during the restart procedure. MOL confirmed that firefighters had localized the blaze and that intervention efforts were ongoing. A spokesperson for the regional disaster management authority, Dávid Dojcsák, later told state media that the fire had been extinguished, though cleanup and site-securing operations continued.

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