OIL confirms death of two employees during fire fighting operations at Baghjan oil well

Oil India Limited (OIL) in a statement issued on Wednesday, June 10, revealed that two of its employees, Durlov Gogoi and Tikheswar Gohain had died during the fire fighting operations at the Baghjan oil well. It stated that the bodies of the employees had been recovered on Wednesday morning and immediate compensation was being disbursed to their kin. Moreover, 4 other persons who sustained minor injuries were rendered immediate medical help. At present, fire tenders are spraying water to contain the fire from spreading to the surrounding areas. Affected people in the surrounding areas have been shifted to 12 relief camps.

Meanwhile, Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Dharmendra Pradhan chaired a meeting with the OIL team via video conferencing at 10 am. He reviewed the situation on the ground level and advised the OIL team to take immediate action for providing necessary support to the people affected by the fire. He also urged them to take all steps to control the spread of fire. The statement added that 4 teams- Technical, Arrangements & Facilities, Relief and Rehabilitation, and Other Issues had been constituted by the Chairman and Managing Director of OIL for the effective execution of measures in the present crisis. The team of experts from Singapore based M/s Alert also visited the site and is preparing the roadmap for the next course of action. 

Read: WATCH: Massive Fire In Assam's Baghjan Oil Well; NDRF, IAF Deployed To Douse Fire

Read: OIL Well Blow-out: Company Says 'gas Flowing Uncontrollably'; Experts Inspect Assam Well

Fire breaks out at Baghjan well

Set up by Oil India Limited in 2006, the Baghjan 5 well produces around 80,000 standard cubic metres per day of gas from a depth of 3,870 metres. The blowout at this well occurred on May 27 when two simultaneous operations- servicing of the top portion of the well and testing new sand in the well were going on. At least one dolphin and a variety of fish died as the residue of gas condensing after coming in contact with water spread to a distance of 5 km in the nearby areas. 

The well caught fire at around 1.14 pm on Tuesday. As per reports, the blaze was so huge that it could be seen from a distance of more than two km. The Indian Air Force deployed three fire tenders to douse the massive fire after a specific request from Assam CM Sarbananda Sonowal to Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. Earlier in the day, PM Modi spoke to the Assam CM and assured him all possible support from the Centre. 

Read: Assam's Baghjan Oil Field Catches Fire A Week After Blowout; Smoke Visible From Afar