Massive fire at Oil India's tank farm in Assam, one dead and six injured

A massive fire broke out on Friday at the Intermediate Tank Farm (ITF) of Oil India Limited (OIL) located in the Dibrugarh district of Assam. One person has died and six others have been seriously injured in the accident. The explosion at the plant located in the Tengakhat area caused panic throughout the vicinity.

According to an NDTV report, a statement released by Oil India Limited stated that the fire incident occurred around 9:05 am. The fire broke out suddenly while maintenance work was being carried out at the facility. Preliminary reports suggest that the incident occurred while workers were operating a valve in the plant. A powerful explosion took place in the crude oil storage section of the tank farm, resulting in a massive blaze.

Five of the six injured persons in this accident have been identified. They include 40-year-old Tapas Gogoi, a resident of Milan Nagar in Dibrugarh, as well as 45-year-old Shailan Gogoi, 38-year-old Kumud Gogoi, 58-year-old Golap Datta, and 40-year-old Indra Gogoi, all residents of Tengakhat. It has been learned that all these injured workers are employees of Mumbai-based Spectron Engineers Private Limited, a company to which Oil India Limited had outsourced the work.

The injured were immediately shifted to the Assam Medical College and Hospital (AMCH) in Dibrugarh and Oil India Limited's own hospital for treatment. One person lost their life due to injuries in this incident. It is believed that some other people may have also been injured, although official confirmation is awaited.

According to Oil India Limited, as soon as the incident was reported, the company's fire service personnel were deployed immediately. Following the efforts of the firefighting team, the fire has now been brought under control. The company has expressed deep condolences to the family of the deceased and stated that updates will be provided as more information becomes available.

Official confirmation has not yet been provided regarding the exact cause of the explosion during routine valve maintenance. An investigation is currently underway to determine which safety regulations were violated or which technical fault led to this major disaster. This incident has once again raised questions about the safety measures adopted during maintenance work in industrial units.