Three foreign hydrocarbon well blowout experts from Singapore-based firm Alert Disaster Control were injured in a sudden burst of flames while trying to prepare for capping a gas well of Oil India Limited at Baghjan in Assam’s Tinsukia district, which has been throwing out jets of gas and fire for almost two months now after a blowout.
In a statement, OIL said that three experts from M/s Alert — Anthony Steven Reynolds, Doug Dallas and Craig Neil Duncan suffered minor burn injuries in the incident. ” The three experts were provided immediate medical attention by a doctor at the well site and later on they were taken to burn unit section of Astha Nursing Home at Dibrugarh. They have been released after dressing of the burn injuries,” said the statement.
Oil India Limited Spokesperson Tridiv Hazarika said the experts were trying to cap a portion of the well when the fire broke out suddenly, injuring the three.
“We are trying to seal the gas leak. Only when the gas leakage stops, the fire will too. The fire is due to the uncontrolled gas leak,” he added.
Work on plugging the gas leak was supposed to be completed in the next three-four days, Hazarika said.
The team of foreign experts had reached the site of the oil well fire early last month (8 June), 13 days after the blowout on 27 May.
The damaged oil well has been spewing gas for 56 days now, with over 9,000 people living nearby been shifted to relief camps.
Last month, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) had constituted an eight-member committee to probe the blowout, the subsequent fire and damage to humans, wildlife and the environment. The oil well is located near the Maguri-Motapung Wetland and Dibru Saikhowa National Park in Assam.
The green panel had imposed an interim penalty of Rs 25 crore on OIL.
