Dibrugarh, November 6: One person was killed and six others injured after a massive explosion triggered a fire at Oil India Limited’s Intermediate Tank Farm (ITF) in Tengakhat, Dibrugarh district, on Friday morning.
The incident occurred at around 9.05 am at the crude oil storage facility. Preliminary information suggests that workers were carrying out technical and maintenance work inside the ITF premises when an explosion took place while work was underway on a valve.
The explosion was followed by a fire in the crude oil storage area. Preliminary reports also indicated that the force of the blast threw workers some distance away.
The deceased was identified as Raju Dutta, a resident of Bordolongoni village in Tengakhat. He was employed by Spectron Engineers Private Limited, a company working under Oil India.
Of the six injured, five were admitted to Assam Medical College and Hospital in Dibrugarh. They were identified as Shailen Gogoi (45), Tapas Gogoi (40), Kumud Gogoi (38), Golap Dutta (58) and Indra Gogoi (40). The sixth injured person was shifted to Oil India Hospital. Several of the injured were reported to be in critical condition.
The administration arranged to move residents living near the site to safer locations amid concerns over the intensity of the fire. Oil India’s fire services and other emergency personnel were deployed to contain the blaze.
Senior Oil India officials reached the site and supervised the rescue and firefighting operations. The company has initiated an investigation to determine the cause of the explosion. The exact circumstances under which the blast occurred during the valve-related work are yet to be officially established.
