Death toll in explosion at Oil India's facility in Assam rises to three

Dibrugarh, The toll in an explosion at Oil India Limited's facility in Assam's Dibrugarh district rose to three, with two more persons succumbing to burn injuries on Saturday, officials said.

An engineer died while undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Dibrugarh, and a worker breathed his last at a Guwahati health facility during the day, they said, adding that one person lost his life a day ago.

A fire broke out on Friday during maintenance work at Oil India Limited's Intermediate Tank Farm in Tengakhat, following the explosion, according to a statement issued by the PSU.


An Intermediate Tank Farm is a facility where petroleum products are temporarily stored in tanks before being transferred for further processing or transportation.

Oil India Limited (OIL) on Saturday announced an ex gratia of Rs 10 lakh to the next of kin of each deceased, and Rs 5 lakh to each injured person.

Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal and Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma are closely monitoring the situation, the public sector undertaking (PSU) said.

A worker of Spectron Engineering Private Limited, a company engaged by OIL, died at a Guwahati hospital where he was taken after his condition became very critical, an official said, adding that the deceased was identified as Rupam Gohain.

The death of the engineer, identified as Tapas Jyoti Gogoi, was confirmed by the company's area manager Kamal Phukan on Saturday.

Gogoi, a resident of N Gali in Milan Nagar of Dibrugarh, and Gohain were among the six workers who sustained burn injuries in the explosion a day ago.

The injured workers were initially taken to Assam Medical College and Hospital (AMCH), Dibrugarh.

"Subsequently, Gogoi had been taken to a private hospital in Dibrugarh and Gohain had been admitted to a Guwahati hospital," the official said.

Gogoi, who sustained around 70 per cent burns, succumbed to his injuries at around 3 am on Saturday, his elder brother said.

He had been working with the company for the past 13 years.

He is survived by his parents, wife and a daughter.

Three of the injured workers remain in critical condition, another official said.

A total of nine workers were present at the site when the accident occurred on Friday, and seven of them sustained injuries, with one of the injured workers succumbing to his injuries, an official statement said.

The person who died on Friday was identified as Raju Dutta.

Meanwhile, Union Shipping and Waterways Minister Sarbananda Sonowal called OIL Chairman and Managing Director Ranjit Rath to take stock of the situation.

Sonowal urged the CMD to ensure the best medical treatment for those injured in the incident and to take all necessary measures without delay, the company release said.

The Union minister, who is the Lok Sabha MP from Dibrugarh, also called for appropriate compensation for the families of those who lost their lives in the incident.

Sonowal advocated a high-level inquiry by the authorities concerned to establish the exact cause of the fire and bring all aspects surrounding the incident to light, the release added.