Oil well explodes in Assam, over 1,600 evacuated

GUWAHATI: An oil rig at a producing well of Oil India Limited at Baghjan in Assam’s Tinsukia district, which had blown out 14 days back, exploded a few minutes back. After the massive fire broke out accompanied by massive columns of black smoke over 1600 families in the vicinity were evacuated to relief camps.
The incident happened when a team of three experts from a Singapore firm had reached the site on Monday to try plugging the well.

The Baghjan oil field blowout is threatening the environment. The blowout occurred at a producing well number 5, which is situated in the vicinity of Dibru Saikhowa National Park, bio-diversity hotspot and Maguri-Motapung Beel, which is a home to migratory birds.