Two workers have been found dead near the site of a huge fire ignited by gas that has been spewing from an oil field in India for two weeks, officials said Wednesday.

A wall of flames and smoke continues to roar into the sky a day after the gas triggered an explosion at the well run by state-owned Oil India in the northeastern state of Assam.

"Unfortunately, we have lost two dedicated oilmen in the line of duty. Their bodies were found from the pond nearby," Oil India spokesman Tridiv Hazarika told AFP.

Hazarika said the men were Oil India staff operating at the site as company firefighters and appeared to have jumped into the water at the time of Tuesday's blast.

Another firefighter suffered minor injuries.

The military and national disaster response personnel along with around 200 engineers and workers -- including experts from Singapore -- are aiming to stem the leak within four weeks, Oil India said.

Assam's Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal said he had briefed Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the situation.

There has been no official statement on how much gas has escaped but the company said it was flowing "uncontrollably".

The well was producing 100,000 standard cubic metres of gas per day from a depth of 3,870 metres (4,234 yards) before the blowout in late May, according to Oil India.

Concern is growing about the impact on the biodiverse Tinsukia region, which is home to several bird sanctuaries.

Just one kilometre from the well is Maguri-Motapung wetlands, an ecotourism site. State-owned sanctuary Dibru Saikhowa National Park -- an area known for migratory birds -- is about 2.5 kilometres away.

Locals and environmentalists say gas condensate is covering the wetlands and nearby waterways, and that dead fish along with the carcass of a dolphin have been found.

A 1.5-kilometre exclusion zone has been created around the site of the blowout, with about 2,500 people evacuated from their homes.

Related Links
All About Oil and Gas News at OilGasDaily.com

Tweet

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only

ULEMCo delivers another hydrogen vehicle first
Liverpool, UK (SPX) Jun 10, 2020
ULEMCo has worked with Yorkshire Water to produce what is believed to be the first water tanker anywhere to operate on hydrogen fuel. The new 7.5 tonne bowser (pictured) has been converted from a standard truck to use hydrogen dual fuel, an approach that allows fleet managers to transition more quickly to low carbon operation. Based on an average duty cycle, the new ULEMCo vehicle is expected to deliver a 33% reduction in carbon emissions. The benefit is further enhanced by the vehicle refuelling ... read more