Former Assam Football Team goalkeeper among 2 killed in Baghjan fire mishap

Guwahati: It has now come to light Durlav Gogoi, a firefighter who died after a blazing inferno erupted the Baghjan Oilfield blowout site after he fell into a nearby pond, was an accomplished footballer. Gogoi was a goalkeeper in the Assam football team at the junior level in 1996-97 and also went on to represent OIL in his later years.

Meanwhile, OIL Spokesperson Tridib Hazarika has confirmed that the two men have died after the fire incident at the blowout site. The cause of death in the initial stages has been attributed to drowning in the pond beside the well, Hazarika said, adding that they could also have suffocated because of the emitted gas that had engulfed the area.

A day after a blazing inferno engulfed the Baghjan blowout site in Assam's Tinsukia district, the bodies of two Oil India Limited (OIL) employees have been fished out from a nearby lake. The Baghjan fire has necessitated the evacuation of hundreds upon hundreds of locals. The employees, identified as Durlav Gogoi and Tikheswar Gohain went missing after a major fire erupted at the site that has been continuously emitting gas and oil for over two weeks.

According to media reports, the duo had jumped into a nearby lake after the fire broke, in a mood of panic. After an extensive search for the missing men, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) personnel deployed in the area were finally able to locate the bodies of the dead men earlier in the morning today.

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