Dibrugarh/Guwahati (Assam): PSU major Oil India on Wednesday said two of its firefighters died at the site of a major blaze at its Baghjan well, which has been spewing gas uncontrollably for the last 15 days in Assam's Tinsukia district.
The two firefighters had gone missing after the well caught fire on Tuesday and their bodies were recovered by an NDRF team this morning, Oil India Spokesperson Tridiv Hazarika said.
"Their bodies were recovered from a wetland near the site. Prima facie it looks that they jumped into the water and got drowned as there is no mark of burn injury. The exact cause will be ascertained only after a post mortem," he said.
Also read: Massive fire breaks out at Oil India's gas well in Assam
The duo has been identified as Durlov Gogoi and Tikeswar Gohain, both assistant operators of the fire service department of the company, the official said.
Gogoi was a well-known football player who had represented Assam at several national tournaments in Under-19 and Under-21 categories. He was the goalkeeper of the Oil India football team.
Meanwhile Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal said that Baghjan fire has now been confined to an area of 50 mtrs and needs around 25-28 days to control. Earlier, Sonowal spoke to PM Modi and the latter assured of all possible help to resolve the situation.
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Gave details of Baghjan fire tragedy to PM Shri @narendramodi ji over phone. Also briefed him about emergency measures taken by @PetroleumMin, @OilIndiaLimited & state machinery.
— Sarbananda Sonowal (@sarbanandsonwal) June 10, 2020 " class="align-text-top noRightClick twitterSection" data="
He assured of all possible help to resolve the situation & provide relief to victims. @dpradhanbjp
">Gave details of Baghjan fire tragedy to PM Shri @narendramodi ji over phone. Also briefed him about emergency measures taken by @PetroleumMin, @OilIndiaLimited & state machinery.
— Sarbananda Sonowal (@sarbanandsonwal) June 10, 2020
He assured of all possible help to resolve the situation & provide relief to victims. @dpradhanbjpGave details of Baghjan fire tragedy to PM Shri @narendramodi ji over phone. Also briefed him about emergency measures taken by @PetroleumMin, @OilIndiaLimited & state machinery.
— Sarbananda Sonowal (@sarbanandsonwal) June 10, 2020
He assured of all possible help to resolve the situation & provide relief to victims. @dpradhanbjp
"Gave details of Baghjan fire tragedy to PM Shri @narendramodi ji over phone. Also briefed him about emergency measures taken by @PetroleumMin, @OilIndiaLimited & state machinery. He assured of all possible help to resolve the situation & provide relief to victims," Sonowal tweeted.
However, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has assured Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal of all possible assistance to the victims of a massive fire at Oil India's Baghjan well, which has been spewing gas uncontrollably for 15 days in Tinsukia district.
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PM @narendramodi spoke to Assam CM Shri @sarbanandsonwal to discuss the situation in the wake of the Baghjan fire tragedy. PM assured all possible support from the Centre. The situation is being monitored closely.
— PMO India (@PMOIndia) June 10, 2020 " class="align-text-top noRightClick twitterSection" data="
">PM @narendramodi spoke to Assam CM Shri @sarbanandsonwal to discuss the situation in the wake of the Baghjan fire tragedy. PM assured all possible support from the Centre. The situation is being monitored closely.
— PMO India (@PMOIndia) June 10, 2020PM @narendramodi spoke to Assam CM Shri @sarbanandsonwal to discuss the situation in the wake of the Baghjan fire tragedy. PM assured all possible support from the Centre. The situation is being monitored closely.
— PMO India (@PMOIndia) June 10, 2020
In a telephone call made to the prime minister, Sonowal apprised him of the latest situation arising out of the major blowout and subsequent fire, a CMO official said.
Sonowal said that four OIL employees present at the site had jumped into water but two survived. A firefighter of the state-owned ONGC suffered minor injuries during efforts to control the blaze, which Oil India said could take as long as four weeks to be put out.
Baghjan well is adjacent to the rich biodiversity-filled Dibru-Saikhowa National Park.
"Number of houses, vehicles, small gardens and some forest areas burnt to ashes. Getting an exact estimation of the damage has become difficult due to the impact of the fire and the high temperature. The district administration is working on this," an OIL official said.
Apart from fire tenders of the company, the Army, Air Force, IOC and Assam Gas Company are trying to control the blaze from expanding to nearby areas.
The official also informed that as soon as the fire broke out, OIL employees in and around Baghjan came under violent attack by locals.
"Many of our staff suffered injuries in the attack. Our vehicles were badly damaged. We could evacuate our and ONGC staff working at the site with much effort of the security personnel," a company official said.
Following the well blowout on May 27, OIL said over 1,610 families were moved out of the area and provided shelter at four relief camps, where following the guidelines to check the spread of the coronavirus, including maintaining social distancing, are proving to be a major challenge.
The blaze at the OIL well is so massive that it could be seen from a distance of more than 30 km with thick black smoke going up several metres high, endangering the local biodiversities which were already ravaged following the major blowout that happened on May 27.
(With inputs from PTI)
