ONGC Mori-5 Well Fire Extinguished After Five Days
Dr BR Ambedkar Konaseema: A fire triggered by a massive gas explosion at an ONGC-owned well in Andhra Pradesh’s Dr BR Ambedkar Konaseema district was finally doused on Saturday morning.
Following the gas leak in the Mori-5 well of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC), a huge fireball reaching 20 meters high and 25 meters wide erupted near Mori and Irusumanda villages of Malikipuram Mandal on January 5.
Konaseema District Joint Collector T Nisanthi said on Saturday morning that the explosion was completely brought under control. The fire has been extinguished and there is almost no flame now. Closing of the Mori-5 gas well and mudding, which is a technical process, continues.
The gas well, located in Konaseema district, was operated by ONGC’s Production Development Contractor (PEC) Deep Industries Ltd, an Ahmedabad-based company. Following the disaster, ONGC senior management took direct operational control.
ONGC Crisis Management Team struggled to extinguish the fire for about five days and managed to extinguish the fire. Fortunately, there was no loss of life or injury in the disaster.
ONGC disaster management team has completely removed the debris and prepared the blowout preventer to be installed in the well. A permanent blanket of water was maintained around the wellhead to facilitate safe operations.
