Tengakhat Oil India fire: death toll rises to five as Kumud Gogoi dies

The number of people killed in the explosion and fire at Oil India Limited's (OIL) Intermediate Tank Farm (ITF) at Tengakhat in Dibrugarh district has risen to five.

Kumud Gogoi, 39, died of his burn injuries on Tuesday while undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Dibrugarh, Hub News and India Today NE reported. He was from Borbeel Dighalia in Tengakhat and worked as a semi-skilled helper at the facility.

What happened on November 6

The blast took place at about 9.05 am on Friday, November 6, while maintenance work was going on at the ITF. According to OIL's preliminary assessment cited in the reports, it occurred in the Indirect Bath Heater (IDBH) area of the tank farm, which had been isolated for maintenance since November 4.

The explosion set off a large fire and left seven workers with burn injuries. They were employed by Mumbai-based Spectron Engineers Private Limited, the contractor OIL had engaged for operation and maintenance work at the site.

The injured were first taken to Assam Medical College and Hospital (AMCH) in Dibrugarh and the OIL Hospital in Duliajan, and those needing specialised burn care were later moved to private hospitals. One worker died on the day of the blast, and three more died over the following days before Tuesday's death. The exact cause of the explosion has not yet been officially established.

Compensation and action so far

OIL has announced ex-gratia of Rs 10 lakh for the next of kin of each worker who died and Rs 5 lakh for each injured worker. The company has also suspended four of its personnel, three officers and one employee, for alleged dereliction of duty linked to the incident.

Three separate probes into the blast are under way, and student and community groups in Upper Assam have been pressing for higher compensation and accountability. The All Assam Students' Union (AASU) has demanded Rs 5 crore for each bereaved family.

Questions over safety in the oil belt

The deaths have revived concerns about safety at oil and gas installations in Upper Assam, where many villages sit close to wells, pipelines and processing facilities. Local organisations have asked why workers were exposed to such risk during maintenance on an isolated unit, and whether contract workers receive adequate safety training and equipment.

The incident has also drawn comparisons with the 2020 Baghjan blowout in neighbouring Tinsukia district, where a gas well burned for months and thousands of families were displaced.

NEInsider will update this story as the investigations progress.