Rajamahendravaram: Panic gripped the residents of Irusumanda village in Malikipuram Mandal on Monday after a gas pipeline leak at a well in Dr B R Ambedkar Konaseema district, operated by ONGC's production contractor Deep Industries Ltd, triggered a massive fire on Monday.

As the well is situated in a remote area with no human habitation within a radius of approximately 500 to 600 meters, no injuries or loss of life have been recorded.

However, the high-pressure leak sent flames leaping several meters into the sky while thick clouds of smoke blanketed the surrounding areas.

The incident occurred during workover operations at Well Mori5 in the Mori Field. The well is operated by ONGC’s Production Enhancement Contractor, Deep Industries Limited.

While repair works were underway, a sudden blowout caused a mixture of gas and crude oil to erupt at high pressure, which subsequently ignited. Upon receiving information, Ministers Kinjarapu Atchannaidu and Vasamsetti Subhash engaged with the District Collector and ONGC representatives to assess the situation. The Ministers issued strict directives to ensure the immediate containment of the fire and to evacuate residents from the immediate danger zone to safer locations without causing distress. Revenue and police officials have since cordoned off the area to prevent unauthorised access.

ONGC has mobilised its Crisis Management Teams to stabilise the site, and cooling operations have already commenced. Preparatory work is in progress for well-control and potentially capping the well to stop the leak entirely. Furthermore, the corporation has initiated coordination with international well-control specialists to assist with advanced technical operations if the site assessment deems it necessary.

The incident has reignited fears among local villagers. This is the second such occurrence in Irusumanda, where a similar leak took place in August last year. Residents have expressed deep anxiety over the recurring nature of these leaks and have called for a thorough safety audit of the infrastructure in the region.

Senior management and technical experts are currently on site, and additional emergency equipment is being mobilised from nearby locations like Narsapuram.

The site, which had been previously explored and later abandoned by ONGC, was sub-leased to Deep Industries in September 2024 to re-examine the presence of resources and test existing gas reserves. Deep Industries Ltd had secured a Rs 1,402-crore contract for production enhancement operations at ONGC's Rajahmundry Asset in Andhra Pradesh, according to reports. The company has been operating the Mori-5 well for about a year, an official said.

The incident took place during what is technically known as a workover rig operation. Because the primary drilling had been completed years ago, the technical team was working at a depth of 2.7 kilometers to perform perforation activities. This process was intended to tap into an underground layer estimated to hold approximately 30 to 40 million tonnes of reserves.

Local authorities have confirmed that the drilling site is currently isolated. While the explosion and pressure release are ongoing, officials stated that there is no immediate threat of the flames spreading to the surrounding areas. Experts indicate that the situation will likely persist until either the internal pipeline system collapses or the pressure within the gas reservoir naturally decreases to a manageable level.