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Oil tanker blows up during welding in Assam garage; driver, mechanic injured
DDMA officials said an explosion took place in Ramnagar area of Digboi town when a 12-wheeler oil tanker caught fire during welding repairs
SILCHAR: A truck driver and a mechanic sustained burn injuries when an oil tanker truck that they were trying to repair with a welding machine sparked a fire that led to the tanker blowing up in Assam’s Digboi on Sunday afternoon.
According to District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) officials, the blast took place in Ramnagar area of Digboi town when a 12-wheeler oil tanker caught fire during welding repairs.
Police said the vehicle had come from Daimukh area of Lakhimpur district.
The injured have been identified as Sunil Bora (51), the truck driver, and Umesh Singh (46), a mechanic working at the garage.
Police said both sustained burn injuries to their face and body and had been referred to Assam Medical College and Hospital (AMCH), Dibrugarh, for critical care.
“The fire broke out during welding work being conducted on the tanker’s body. The garage clearly lacked basic safety measures. No degassing or fuel-removal protocol was followed before the repair,” a fire department official said on Monday.
Ravi Sharma, who owns a shop near the garage, said that he was not at his shop when the incident happened but heard the explosion that shook the surrounding buildings. “We thought it was a cylinder blast. By the time we rushed to the site, the tanker was in flames,” he said.
“A probe has been initiated and we have registered a case against the owner of the garage for criminal negligence and are investigating the matter further,” said a senior officer at Digboi Police Station.
District officials said a team from the Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation (PESO) is expected to visit the site for further inspection. The Oil India Limited (OIL) refinery is located in the district.
