Assam OIL facility fire: Death toll rises to four after injured worker dies

The death toll in the fire incident at an Oil India Ltd (OIL) facility in Assam’s Dibrugarh district rose to four on Sunday after another injured worker passed away, according to an official.

Three other workers injured in Friday’s blaze remain in critical condition and are receiving medical treatment.

The incident claimed one life on the day it occurred, while two more individuals succumbed to their injuries the following day. An official confirmed that mechanical helper Sailen Gogoi, who was undergoing treatment at a private hospital, passed away during the day, bringing the total casualties to four. All the victims were employees of Spectron Engineering Private Limited, a Mumbai-based firm contracted by OIL.


The public sector undertaking (PSU) stated that the fire erupted on November 6 following an explosion during maintenance operations at OIL's intermediate tank farm in Tengakhat. An intermediate tank farm functions as a temporary storage facility for petroleum products prior to their transfer for further processing or transport.

OIL has announced an ex gratia payment of Rs 10 lakh for the next of kin of each deceased worker, alongside Rs 5 lakh for each injured individual.

On Saturday, the PSU noted that Union minister Sarbananda Sonowal and Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma were actively tracking developments. Sonowal, who serves as the Lok Sabha MP for Dibrugarh, contacted OIL CMD Ranjit Rath to assess the situation. Additionally, Sarma instructed his principal secretary to coordinate directly with the OIL chairman-cum-managing director to guarantee top-tier medical care for the injured workers and full compensation support for the bereaved families.