Death toll rises to three in Assam Oil India facility explosion
Two workers succumbed to burn injuries on Saturday following a Friday explosion at an oil facility in Dibrugarh district.
The death toll from an explosion and fire at an Oil India Limited (OIL) facility in eastern Assam's Dibrugarh district has risen to three, according to reports from The Hindu, The Economic Times and Hindustan Times.
The incident occurred on Friday, November 6, at the OIL intermediate tank farm in Tengakhat during maintenance work on an indirect bath heater. Raju Dutta died from the impact of the explosion on Friday morning.
Two more workers died on Saturday, November 7. Engineer Tapas Jyoti Gogoi, who worked for Spectron Engineering Private Limited, died at a private hospital in Dibrugarh around 3 am. Rupam Gohain, another worker for the same agency, died at a Guwahati hospital around 11 am.
Of the nine workers present at the site, seven sustained injuries. Three of the injured workers remain in critical condition. OIL has announced an ex gratia of Rs 10 lakh for the next of kin of each deceased person and Rs 5 lakh for each injured person.
Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal and Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma are monitoring the situation. Sonowal has urged the OIL Chairman and Managing Director, Ranjit Rath, to ensure medical treatment for the injured and called for a high-level inquiry.
OIL has constituted an internal inquiry committee to investigate the immediate and underlying causes of the incident and to suggest measures to prevent future occurrences.