Tengakhat Oil India fire: death toll rises to six as Golap Dutta dies

A sixth worker has died after the November 6 explosion and fire at Oil India Limited's (OIL) Intermediate Tank Farm (ITF) at Tengakhat in Assam's Dibrugarh district, taking the toll to six.

Golap Dutta, 58, died on Tuesday evening at Aastha Hospital in Dibrugarh, where he was being treated for severe burns, Northeast Live and Hub Network reported. He lived in Bordoloni village near Tengakhat and worked as a semi-skilled mechanical helper for the contractor that runs operations and maintenance at the facility, according to Hub Network.

His death came only hours after that of co-worker Kumud Gogoi, who died earlier on Tuesday with burns over more than 60 per cent of his body. Northeast Live reported that one more injured worker remains in critical condition.

Six deaths in five days

The blast hit the tank farm at about 9.05 am on Friday while maintenance work was going on. Of the nine workers at the site, seven were injured and two escaped unhurt.

• Raju Dutta died on Friday, the day of the explosion.
• Tapas Jyoti Gogoi died early on Saturday.
• Rupam Gogoi, who had been moved to a hospital in Guwahati, died on Saturday.
• Sailen Gogoi died on Sunday.
• Kumud Gogoi and Golap Dutta died on Tuesday.

All the injured were employees of Spectron Engineers Private Limited, a Mumbai-based firm engaged by OIL for operations and maintenance at the ITF. They were first taken to Assam Medical College and Hospital in Dibrugarh and OIL Hospital in Duliajan, and some were later shifted to private hospitals for specialised burn care.

What OIL has said and done

According to OIL's preliminary assessment, the explosion took place in the Indirect Bath Heater (IDBH) section of the tank farm, which had been isolated for maintenance since November 4. The exact cause has not been officially established.

The company has announced ex-gratia of Rs 10 lakh for the family of each worker who died and Rs 5 lakh for each injured worker. It has also suspended four of its own staff, three officers and one employee, for alleged dereliction of duty, NE Now reported.

Inquiries into the accident are under way, and student and worker groups in Upper Assam have demanded much higher compensation and accountability from both OIL and its contractor.

Why it matters

The rising toll has made Tengakhat one of the deadliest industrial accidents at an oil installation in Assam in recent years, and has revived memories of the 2020 Baghjan well blowout in Tinsukia district, which burned for months and displaced thousands of families. Questions over contractor safety practices and supervision during maintenance work are likely to be central to the probes.

NEInsider will update this story as the inquiries progress.