Oil India Facility Blast: 1 Dead, 6 Injured in Dibrugarh Fire
A massive fire following an explosion at Oil India's ITF in Dibrugarh, Assam, has left one worker dead and six injured.
Tragedy struck the Dibrugarh district of Assam on Friday morning when a massive fire erupted following a powerful explosion at the Intermediate Tank Farm (ITF) of Oil India Limited (OIL) in Tengakhat. The incident has resulted in the death of one worker and left six others injured, according to official updates from the company.
The Moment of Impact
The blast occurred while technical teams were carrying out work at the facility. Preliminary reports indicate that the explosion took place specifically in the crude oil storage section. It is believed that the spark was triggered while a valve was being operated, leading to a sudden fire that engulfed the area.
Initial reports from the scene were chaotic, with early accounts suggesting five injuries and one worker missing. However, subsequent confirmations have revealed a more grim toll, confirming one fatality and a total of six injured personnel.
Maintenance Work Gone Wrong
The victims were employees of Spectron Engineers Private Limited, a Mumbai-based firm contracted by Oil India Limited to handle specialized tasks at the site. Kamal Phukan, the Area Manager of Spectron Engineers Pvt Ltd, clarified that the team was performing routine maintenance on machinery that typically requires servicing on a monthly or quarterly basis.
"During technical work, a fire broke out and around five people were injured... there was a machine that was serviced monthly or quarterly. There was an accident," Phukan stated during an initial briefing.
Casualties and Medical Response
Emergency response teams acted quickly to evacuate the injured from the blaze. Five of the affected workers were rushed to the Assam Medical College and Hospital (AMCH) in Dibrugarh for urgent treatment. Another injured individual was reportedly taken to the Oil India Hospital.
The injured workers have been identified as:
- Tapas Gogoi (40), resident of Milan Nagar, Dibrugarh
- Shailen Gogoi (45), resident of Tengakhat
- Kumud Gogoi (38), resident of Tengakhat
- Golap Dutta (58), resident of Tengakhat
- Indra Gogoi (40), resident of Tengakhat
Ongoing Investigation
While the immediate cause appears to be linked to valve operation during maintenance, the exact circumstances that led to the explosion are still under scrutiny. Special teams were deployed immediately following the blast to search for the missing worker, whose subsequent death was later confirmed.
Official authorities are continuing their investigation to determine the full extent of the damage and to confirm the precise sequence of events that led to this industrial disaster.