Dibrugarh (Assam): The fire in the periphery of Oil India Ltd's gas well in Assam's Tinsukia district has been doused after sustained efforts of firefighters and at the moment only flowing gas is burning at the mouth of the well.
Though no peripheral burning is taking place at the moment at the well's site at Baghjan, the company has declared an area up to 1.5 km radius as "red zone" to avoid any untoward incident and harm to the general public.
"Now only the flowing gas is burning at the mouth of the well. We have declared an area with 1.5 km of radius as a red zone so that no outside person comes near the site. It is being done as a safety measure," Oil India Ltd (OIL) Senior Manager (Public Affairs) Jayant Bormudoi told media.
The official said that three more foreign experts from the US and Canada will reach Assam in two days to control the blaze caused by a major blowout at the gas well on Tuesday.
Currently, three experts from Singaporean firm Alert Disaster Control are working at the site since Monday to stop the gas leak. "We have contacted three more experts and they will be joining us the day after tomorrow. Two of them are from the USA and one is from Canada," Bormudoi said.
The visa and all other regulatory approvals are completed and they will be flying very soon from their respective places, he added.
Read:Assam gas well fire: Damage will be compensated, says Minister Chandra Mohan Patowary
Bormudoi informed that the gas is flowing uncontrollably at a pressure of 4,500 psi (pounds per square inch) and it is "very very high" to control the leakage.
"Besides, no one is able to approach the well beyond 50 metres because of excessive heat. Our fire tenders are now spraying water and creating a water umbrella in the periphery. By cooling down the periphery, the experts are trying to approach slowly," he explained.
When asked about repeated tremors felt by people in the area Wednesday night, the OIL official said it was not from underground sources but produced overground.
"When the massive fire burnt a huge amount of oxygen in the periphery, an air vacuum was created. This resulted in sudden air movement and created minor local tremors," Bormudoi said.