Explosion at Oil India's tank farm leaves five workers critically injured in Assam's Dibrugarh

Five workers of Oil India Limited’s (OIL) in Assam's Dibrugarh sustained severe injuries due to an explosion at the Intermediate Tank Farm (ITF) on Friday morning, officials said.

According to preliminary reports, the explosion occurred in the facility's crude oil storage section while workers were operating a valve. The blast triggered a massive fire, injuring several people at the site.

The five severely injured workers have been identified as 40-year-old Tapas Gogoi, a resident of Milan Nagar in Dibrugarh; 45-year-old Shailen Gogoi; 38-year-old Kumud Gogoi; 58-year-old Golap Dutta; and 40-year-old Indra Gogoi, all residents of Tengakhat. They were employed by Spectron Engineers Private Limited, a Mumbai-based company engaged by Oil India Limited.

They were taken to Assam Medical College and Hospital (AMCH) in Dibrugarh, where they are undergoing treatment in critical condition. Another worker is missing following the explosion.

Several other persons are also suspected to have sustained injuries, but the exact number of casualties has not yet been officially confirmed. There are also reports of one worker's death, but this has not yet been confirmed by the authorities. HT reached out to the Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Dibrugarh, Gaurav Avijit Dilip, but he didn't respond.

Preliminary accounts suggest that the blast's force threw the workers away from the site. The circumstances that led to the explosion and the fire are also yet to be established. The OIL authorities are yet to release any statement.

Officials said that the fire department, along with other disaster response forces, has been deployed to control the situation.