The death toll from a devastating blast and subsequent inferno at an Oil India Limited installation in Assam's Dibrugarh district reached three on Saturday after two critically injured personnel succumbed to severe burn wounds. The industrial mishap occurred on Friday during routine maintenance operations at an intermediate tank farm located in Tengakhat. One person had perished on the day of the disaster itself, while two additional workers lost their lives across medical facilities in Dibrugarh and Guwahati as doctors fought to stabilize them.
Engineer and Technician Succumb to Extensive Burns
Among those who passed away on Saturday was Tapas Jyoti Gogoi, an engineer who was undergoing intensive treatment at a private hospital in Dibrugarh. Gogoi, a resident of N Gali in Milan Nagar, Dibrugarh, had served the organization for thirteen years. Company Area Manager Kamal Phukan verified his demise. Family members disclosed that Gogoi sustained roughly seventy percent burn injuries during the flash fire and passed away around three in the morning on Saturday. He leaves behind his elderly parents, his wife, and a young daughter.
The second victim to succumb on Saturday was identified as Rupam Gohain, who was employed by Spectron Engineering Private Limited, an external technical firm contracted by Oil India Limited for maintenance assignments. After receiving emergency primary care in Dibrugarh, Gohain was transferred to a specialized hospital in Guwahati following a severe deterioration in his vital parameters, where he subsequently breathed his last. The initial casualty recorded on Friday was identified as Raju Dutta, who died shortly after the explosion ripped through the installation.
Seven Workers Injured During Tank Farm Maintenance
An intermediate tank farm functions as an essential operational node within the petroleum supply network, providing temporary storage for crude and refined petroleum stocks prior to downstream processing, blending, or pipeline distribution. According to official disclosures, a total of nine personnel were stationed at the intermediate facility when the incident took place on Friday. The sudden blast ignited a fierce fire, leaving seven workers trapped with severe thermal burns.
Emergency rescue teams evacuated all seven injured personnel to the Assam Medical College and Hospital in Dibrugarh immediately after the fire was brought under control. Owing to the extremity of their burn trauma, Gogoi was subsequently transferred to a private healthcare facility in Dibrugarh, while Gohain was moved to Guwahati. Healthcare authorities confirmed that three other injured workers remain in extremely critical condition, continuing to receive emergency medical intervention under round-the-clock intensive care.
Government Intervention and Financial Relief Package
The tragedy prompted rapid intervention from both state and union administrations. Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma directed his principal secretary to establish immediate coordination with Oil India Limited Chairman and Managing Director Ranjit Rath. The Chief Minister's Office indicated via a statement on social media platform X that administrative directives were issued to guarantee advanced medical care for the hospitalized survivors and expedite full compensation packages for the bereaved households.
In response, the management of Oil India Limited announced an ex gratia payment of Rs 10 lakh to the immediate next of kin of each deceased victim, alongside financial assistance of Rs 5 lakh for every injured technician. The public sector energy major affirmed that an exhaustive technical inquiry has been commissioned to identify the root causes of the explosion and determine whether safety procedures were breached during the maintenance operation.
Union Minister Calls for Comprehensive Safety Probe
Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal, who represents the Dibrugarh parliamentary constituency, intervened directly by engaging in detailed discussions with Oil India Limited CMD Ranjit Rath. Sonowal instructed the enterprise leadership to spare no resources in facilitating the best available specialized care for the surviving workers without procedural delay. Furthermore, the Union Minister emphasized that an independent, high-level inquiry must examine every operational parameter, technical safeguard, and protocol observed during the maintenance routine to prevent any recurrence of such industrial catastrophes.
