Petrochemical Plant Blast in Hungary Leaves One Dead, Seven Injured
By FRANCISZEK JÓZEF BESZŁEJ
An explosion and fire at a Hungarian petrochemical plant killed one person and seriously injured seven others on Friday, authorities said.
Hungarian energy group MOL said a pipeline explosion occurred during the restart of a production unit following maintenance work at its facility in Tiszaújváros, eastern Hungary.
Prime Minister Péter Magyar said in a Facebook post that the damaged pipeline was “currently burning like a torch”. He added that officials had not detected hazardous substances above safety limits.
Magyar expressed his “sincere condolences” to the family of the person killed and wished the injured a speedy recovery. He said Energy Minister István Kapitány and MOL head Zsolt Hernádi were traveling to the site.
MOL said in a statement that experts were investigating the cause of the incident.
“No hazardous substances above safety limits have been detected so far,” PM Péter Magyar said.
Emergency crews deployed
Hungary’s disaster management agency said firefighters from Tiszaújváros and the nearby city of Miskolc were using water cannons and foam jets to cool the damaged system, while mobile laboratory units carried out air quality measurements.
The mayor of Tiszaújváros, György Fülöp, said there was “no need for public protection measures” and that local authorities remained in constant contact with MOL and emergency services.
According to local reports, ambulances and rescue helicopters continued arriving throughout the morning, and some nearby buildings suffered broken windows from the force of the explosion.
