Assam: Two firefighters, one an ex-footballer, killed in Baghjan oil well explosion

DIBRUGARH/GUWAHATI: Two firefighters of Oil India Limited (OIL), one an ex-footballer who represented Assam in several national-level tournaments at the junior level, have perished in the Baghjan oil well explosion and fire in Assam’s Tinsukia district.
The two deceased — Durlav Gogoi (35) and Tikheswar Gohain (55) — were missing since Tuesday afternoon when the fire broke out. Their bodies were recovered from a nearby pond by National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) personnel on Wednesday morning.
“We lost two of our men today . The cause of their death as of now, for lack of forensic evidence, is drowning in the pond beside the well. It could be suffocation, too, because of gas around,” said an official source. An OIL statement stated, “Immediate compensation is being disbursed to the families of two OIL employees, who sacrificed their lives.”
The Assam government has asked the authorities to perform their last rites with state honours.
“We suspect the two firefighters may have jumped into the pond to escape the fire. Even the waterbodies in the surroundings caught fire due to deposit of condensates which had been flowing out from the gas well. An autopsy will tell the exact cause of death,” Tinsukia SP Shiladitya Chetia said.
Durlav, who hailed from Namrup, was a goalkeeper in the Assam football team at the junior level in 1996-97 and also played for OIL’s team. He had joined the OIL Football Club in 2003. Durlav is survived by his wife and an eight-year-old son who live at Duliajan.
Footballer Durga Boro, once a teammate of Durlav at OIL FC, said, “We are pained to hear the news of Durlav’s demise.” He added that Durlav, a goalkeeper, was his senior.
Both sacrificed lives for the society: CM
Durga said, “He stopped playing around 2012. After that he was fully engaged in work with OIL.”
“I came to know yesterday (June 9) that he was missing. My worst fear came true today. I knew he could not swim,” Durga added.
NorthEast United FC, a Guwahati-based football club, tweeted, “Former Assam State Team Goalkeeper Durlov Gogoi passed away trying to contain the situation on ground. May his soul rest in peace and his family find the strength to deal with the incredible loss.”
Sources close to Durlav’s family said he went to the morning shift duty to replace a colleague who was not well.The other deceased, Tikheswar Gohain (55), hailed from Chabua in Dibrugarh district.
CM Sarbananda Sonowal extended his condolences over the death of the two OIL employees and said they both made supreme sacrifice for the greater interest of society.