Death toll rises to two in Assam Oil India facility explosion
An engineer died from burn injuries following a Friday explosion and fire at a petroleum storage facility in Dibrugarh district.
The death toll from an explosion at an Oil India Limited (OIL) facility in Assam's Dibrugarh district has risen to two, according to reports from BusinessLine and ThePrint. An engineer died from burn injuries at a private hospital on Saturday, according to officials.
The explosion and subsequent fire occurred on Friday during maintenance work at the OIL Intermediate Tank Farm in Tengakhat. The facility is used for the temporary storage of petroleum products in tanks before they are transferred for transportation or further processing.
The second fatality was identified as Tapas Jyoti Gogoi, an employee of Spectron Engineering Private Limited, a company engaged by OIL. Area manager Kamal Phukan confirmed the death on Saturday. Gogoi's brother stated that he succumbed to his injuries at approximately 3 am after sustaining around 70 per cent burns.
A total of nine workers were present at the site during the accident. An official statement noted that seven workers sustained injuries, while one worker, Raju Dutta, died on Friday.
The injured workers were initially taken to Assam Medical College and Hospital (AMCH) in Dibrugarh before being moved to a private healthcare facility. Officials stated that three of the injured workers remain in critical condition.
Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal has urged Oil India to investigate the cause of the explosion, provide medical assistance, and compensate the families of the victims.