Sivasagar (Assam): A gas blowout happened on Thursday at a crude oil well operated by Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) in Assam’s Sivasagar district, prompting emergency measures to contain the situation.

The incident took place at well number RDS-147, operated under rig number SKP-135, in ONGC's Rudrasagar oil field. The operation was being carried out by private contractor SK Petro Services on behalf of the state-run energy major.

Officials confirmed that gas is spewing uncontrollably from the well, but no injuries have been reported, and there is no fire at the site.

“There is no immediate danger, and efforts are underway to control the well,” a senior official present at the location told PTI.

"There is an uncontrolled flow of gas. We are trying to control the well. All senior officials are at the site. We are actively mobilising all resources required for controlling the well, and we hope to do it as soon as possible. Work is underway," he added.

Another official said that there has been no injury at the site, and the well has not caught fire yet.

"It is an old, crude well and not under production. A perforation job was underway for zone transfer. It is a kind of servicing of the well. The production was supposed to start from a new zone after the perforation job.

"At the time of the incident, the logging perforation operation was going on. Suddenly, gas started coming out in an uncontrolled manner immediately after the perforation, leading to the blowout," he added.

Presently, the well site is under control, and all emergency services have been deployed, the official said.

"Currently, a well killing job is in progress. Some locals in the nearby areas have decided to leave their homes temporarily, fearing a blast from the blowout site," he added.

This ONGC incident reminded people of the worst industrial disaster of the Northeast in 2020, when an OIL well blowout incident took the lives of three employees of the PSU major and injured several others.

Well no 5 at Baghjan in Tinsukia district spewed gas uncontrollably for 173 days since May 27, and it caught fire on June 9, 2020.

In a multi-agency effort, the damaged gas well at Baghjan in Assam was 'killed' and the blaze was fully doused on November 15, followed by the abandoning of the well on December 3, 2020, after completing all steps to control it. PTI