Lethal toxic gas accident in Tiszaújváros investigated again

Six years ago, a tragedy occurred on a chemical plant in Tiszaújváros: two workers died of gas poisoning. After all this time, no one took responsibility for the accident. Since 14 June 2012, one person was accused of being responsible for the incident, but he was later acquitted.

The accident occurred in the Tiszai Vegyi Kombinát’s chemical plant when two workers were polishing a plastic container 25 meters above the surface, and nitrogen leaked into the tent. The two men died of gas poisoning in a blink of the eye, while a third worker fainted nearby. Another employee arrived at the scene and tried to rescue the men lying in the tent, but he also fell on the ground within seconds. The two unconscious workers were saved afterwards just in time.

Despite six years of investigation, the people responsible are still not found.

The former suspects were acquitted after a while. Their accusation was based on an expert’s opinion — who had passed away since then.

The police reignited the case a couple of days ago which resulted in the accusation of two other men. They are suspected to cause the two workers’ death by reckless endangerment. According to the Hungarian law, convicts can be sentenced to 2 to 8 years in prison for this crime.

Not long after the tragedy, the daughter of one of the deceased workers gave an interview to Blikk. She claimed that the manager who sent her father into the tent where he inhaled the lethal gas did not check the area properly, so he is obviously responsible for sending him into his demise.  One of her father’s colleagues also informed her that a plug was missing, enabling the gas to leak.

According to Blikk, the families of both men were generously compensated financially for their loss — but of course, this was cold comfort.

The latest reports claim that the gas leaked from the pipeline that fueled the pilot light.

The workers might have been unaware of the leak due to nitrogen’s odourless and colourless nature which makes it difficult to spot. However, a couple of inhales may cause unconsciousness in a fortunate case — and death in an unlucky one. It is still a mystery whose fault the leak was, but the police seem to be on the right track for investigating the case, at last, after six years.

Source: Blikk