One killed six critically injured in fire at Oil India facility in Assam

    Dibrugarh, Nov 6 (PTI) One person was killed, and six others were critically injured in a fire at Oil India Ltd (OIL) facility in Assam's Dibrugarh district on Friday, the company said.

    The fire broke out around 9.05 am during maintenance work at the Intermediate Tank Farm in Tengakhat, following an 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.

    Preliminary information suggested that an accidental mishap occurred while workers were engaged in maintenance operations, triggering the explosion and subsequent fire, the statement said.

    Nine workers were present at the site when the incident occurred, of whom seven sustained injuries. One of them later succumbed, it added.

    The deceased was identified as Raju Dutta. He and the six injured workers were employees of Mumbai-based Spectron Engineers Private Limited, a company engaged by OIL.

    The six injured workers are undergoing treatment at Assam Medical College and Hospital (AMCH) in Dibrugarh.

    Oil India said its fire service personnel were immediately mobilised and the blaze was brought under control.

    Dibrugarh District Commissioner Bikram Kairi, Senior Superintendent of Police Gaurav Abhijit Dilip and other senior officials visited the site to assess the situation.

    Kairi said a State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) team, along with firefighting personnel, had reached the site and initiated necessary measures.

    There was no active fire, and the situation was completely under control, he said.

    Kairi said the district administration would investigate the cause of the incident and was taking up the matter with OIL to ensure all necessary measures were taken.

    He said the administration would ensure proper medical treatment and provide transportation facilities, if required.

    He also appealed to residents of nearby areas not to panic, saying there was no need for any evacuation.

    Meanwhile, AMCH superintendent Dhrubajyoti Bhuyan told PTI that the injured workers were in critical condition, with the extent of burns ranging from 35 to 90 per cent.

    "Their condition is being monitored constantly," he added.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)