A suspected gas pipeline leak during maintenance operations sparked a massive fire and explosion at an Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) oil well in Andhra Pradesh's Dr BR Ambedkar Konaseema district on Monday. The incident triggered widespread panic in the surrounding villages, leading to the evacuation of hundreds of families.
Chaos and Evacuation in Nearby Villages
The blaze erupted at a drilling site in Irsumanda village, located under Malikipuram mandal. At approximately 11:30 am, the leak led to a dramatic blowout, with crude oil shooting nearly 100 feet into the air as a huge ball of fire. Thick, dark smoke quickly engulfed the area following the explosion, causing residents in nearby localities to rush out of their homes in fear.
Konaseema District Collector R Mahesh Kumar confirmed the swift evacuation efforts. "We have evacuated people from within a one-kilometre radius of the blowout," he stated. Authorities moved approximately 300 families to safer locations as a precautionary measure.
Contractor Operations and Cause of Blowout
The well was being operated by Deep Industries, a production contractor for ONGC. According to an ONGC official, the incident occurred during production enhancement operations. The site, which ONGC had explored earlier and later abandoned, was sub-leased to Deep Industries in September 2024 for further work.
The company had recently resumed operations at the already-drilled well to assess resource availability and test gas reserves. Since primary drilling was completed earlier, Deep Industries was conducting a perforation activity, going deeper to about 2.7 kilometres using a 'workover rig'. It was during this critical operation that the leak and subsequent blowout happened.
Official Response and Safety Measures
Fortunately, initial reports confirmed that there were no deaths or injuries resulting from the mishap. The focus remained on containing the fire and ensuring community safety.
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu took note of the serious incident. He enquired about the details and directed the concerned authorities to take all necessary steps to ensure that people living in the adjacent areas remained unaffected by the fallout from the industrial accident.
The combined efforts of ONGC officials, local administration, and emergency services were crucial in managing the immediate crisis and preventing a human tragedy.
