ONGC extinguishes fire at Mori gas well, no casualties reported

The fire caused by a gas blowout at an ONGC-owned well in Andhra Pradesh’s Konaseema district was extinguished on Saturday morning. The well was capped after a five-day operation, with no loss of life or injuries reported

Mori (Andhra Pradesh): The fire triggered by a gas blowout at an ONGC-owned well here in Dr BR Ambedkar Konaseema district was extinguished on Saturday morning.

Following the fire suppression, technical teams successfully capped the well, the company said.

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Konaseema District Joint Collector T Nisanthi said the blowout has been fully controlled and the fire has been snuffed out.

“Blowout (was) fully controlled this (Saturday) morning only,” she told PTI.

A massive fireball reaching a height of 20 metres and a width of 25 metres erupted on January 5 near Mori and Irusumanda villages following a gas leak at Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC)-owned well Mori-5.

The gas well, located in the lush green and amply irrigated Konaseema district, was being operated by ONGC’s Production Enhancement Contractor (PEC) Deep Industries Ltd, an Ahmedabad-based listed company.

Following the disaster, ONGC senior management took direct operational control.

The ONGC Crisis Management Team (CMT) toiled for nearly five days to douse the fire and succeeded in extinguishing the blaze.

Fortunately, there was no loss of life or injury in the disaster.

Meanwhile, ONGC said its CMT has capped the gas well.

“In an exceptional demonstration of expertise, resolve and teamwork, ONGC’s Crisis Management Team (CMT) has successfully capped Well Mori#05 in a record time of just five days, a globally rare achievement in blowout control operations,” said the Maharatna public sector company in a post on X.

According to the oil and gas giant, the extinguishing and capping of the well was executed under extremely challenging conditions.

“The operation reflects ONGC’s technical excellence, preparedness and unwavering commitment to safety, resilience and operational excellence,” it added.