An explosion at an Oil India Limited (OIL) facility in Assam's Dibrugarh district has now killed three people.
Two of the deaths were reported on Saturday, a day after the blast.
The Hindustan Times reported this, citing officials and a statement from the public sector company.
The toll rose after two more people died from burn injuries.
Key points
- The blast happened at OIL's Intermediate Tank Farm in Tengakhat, Dibrugarh.
- Three people have died, and three injured workers remain in critical condition.
- OIL announced ex gratia payments for the families of the dead and the injured.
- Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal has called for a high-level inquiry.
What exactly happened at the site?
A fire broke out on Friday during maintenance work at OIL's Intermediate Tank Farm in Tengakhat. It followed the explosion.
An intermediate tank farm is where petroleum products are stored in tanks for a short time.
They are then moved for further processing or transport.
A total of nine workers were at the site when the accident happened. An official statement said seven of them were injured.
Reports differ on the number of injured.
The same Hindustan Times report also mentions six workers who sustained burn injuries.
Who died, and how are the injured being helped?
An engineer, Tapas Jyoti Gogoi, died early on Saturday. He had about 70 per cent burns, his elder brother said.
A worker of Spectron Engineering Private Limited, a company engaged by OIL, died at a Guwahati hospital.
He was identified as Rupam Gohain.
OIL announced ex gratia of ₹10 lakh for the next of kin of each deceased person. Each injured person will get ₹5 lakh.
Graphic: News Anek, from the facts in this report
So what happens next after this accident?
Sonowal, who is the Lok Sabha MP from Dibrugarh, spoke to OIL Chairman and Managing Director Ranjit Rath.
He asked for the best medical treatment for the injured.
Sonowal has also called for a high-level inquiry.
The aim is to find the exact cause of the fire and bring all facts to light.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma is also monitoring the situation, the company said.
Explainer
What happened before
- A fire broke out on Friday during maintenance work at Oil India Limited's Intermediate Tank Farm in Tengakhat, following an explosion.
- Nine workers were at the site, and seven of them were injured, an official statement said.
Why it matters
The facility stores petroleum products before they are moved for processing or transport, so safety at such sites matters for the workers who run them.
What to watch next
- Three injured workers remain in critical condition, and a high-level inquiry into the exact cause has been sought.
