The death toll in the Dibrugarh oil blast at Oil India Limited’s Intermediate Tank Farm in Tengakhat rose to three on Saturday after two workers who were critically injured in the explosion died in hospitals. Four other workers remain under treatment at Assam Medical College and Hospital in Dibrugarh.
The two workers who died on Saturday were identified as Tapas Gogoi, 40, and Rupam Gohain, 47. Gogoi died at a private hospital in Dibrugarh, while Gohain died at a private hospital in Guwahati. Raju Dutta, 45, died at the site on Friday morning and was the first reported casualty.
The explosion occurred at about 9.05am on Friday while workers were carrying out maintenance activities at the facility. According to an official update issued by Oil India Limited, preliminary information indicated that an accident during the maintenance operation triggered the explosion, followed by a fire in the crude oil storage area.
The exact cause of the explosion has not yet been established. The workers were employed by Spectron Engineers Private Limited, a Mumbai-based company engaged by OIL for maintenance work at the facility. The incident has brought renewed attention to the safety arrangements governing outsourced maintenance work at critical industrial installations, although the available information does not establish whether any safety protocol was breached.
The injured workers were initially admitted to Assam Medical College and Hospital and OIL Hospital. Those with critical burn injuries were later shifted to a private nursing home in Dibrugarh for specialised treatment. The district administration and OIL authorities were continuing to monitor the situation, according to the report.
Dibrugarh district commissioner Bikram Kairi, Senior Superintendent of Police Abhijit Gurav and other senior officials visited the site after the explosion and fire. Their visit followed the response by OIL personnel and local authorities to the incident at the tank farm.
Union minister for ports, shipping and waterways Sarbananda Sonowal spoke by telephone on Saturday with Oil India Limited’s chairperson and managing director to take stock of the situation. Sonowal asked the company to ensure the best possible medical treatment for the injured workers and to take necessary measures without delay.
The Dibrugarh Lok Sabha MP also sought appropriate compensation for the families of the workers who died and called for a high-level inquiry by the relevant authorities. The proposed inquiry is expected to establish how the explosion occurred during maintenance work and to examine the circumstances surrounding the subsequent fire.
The immediate official priorities remain medical treatment for the injured, support for the bereaved families and investigation of the incident. No final cause had been announced in the information available on Saturday.
