GAIL gas leak sets a village on fire 15 burnt alive

• 18 suffer serious injuries
• Incident happens around 5am at Nagaram village in East Godavari
• Huge flames engulf village as a tea vendor lights gas stove at 5am
• In just 15 minutes, monumental tragedy strikes the sleepy village
• Several people seriously injured; condition stated to be critical
• AP SHRC issues notices to East Godavari Collector, SP
• A GAIL pipeline near the site said to have been leaking for days
  

Hyderabad/Rajahmundry: In a most bizarre incident, 15 people were charred to death and 18 suffered serious burn injuries when a massive blaze, triggered by gas leakage and a GAIL pipeline blast, swept through the tiny village of Nagaram in Mamidikuduru mandal in East Godavari district on Friday morning, following a blast in an apparently leaking gas pipeline of the state-run Gas Authority of India Limited (GAIL).

The dead include three women and three children, the owner of a hotel and five of his family members. Officials said the fatalities could rise as the condition of 15 of the injured was critical. Angry villagers attacked the Gas Collection Station near the village and damaged a few vehicles. They alleged that officials didn't take any action despite complaints of the pipeline gathering rust and the smell of leaking gas. This could have resulted in the gas settling in the air.

Vaka Nageswara Rao, who runs a tea stall adjacent to the compound wall of ONGC Refinery, lit his stove to brew coffee around 5 am. A loud blast occurred and a huge fire broke out. Thick plumes of gas hanging in the air immediately ignited, leading to a huge blast of LPG cylinders, soda machines and soon the entire village was engulfed in flames.

The blaze spread swiftly engulfing about 50 houses, over 300 coconut trees and vehicles parked in the vicinity. Many birds and domestic animals were feared burnt in the mishap as flames rose to as high as 250 meters. In 15 minutes everything was gutted, a police officer said. ONGC employees working at an installation at Tatipaka first sighted the fire, shooting upwards. They immediately alerted the GAIL Terminal personnel to shut its main source.

The terminal was closed instantly; however it took 15 minutes for the gas source to cease. In the intervening time, remaining gas in the pipeline caught fire leading to major burst of GAIL’s trunk line, leaving behind a huge crater. ONGC Director (Onshore) Ashok Varma said the fire occurred a few hundred meters from ONGC’s Tatipaka Refinery.

On learning about the incident, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu who was in New Delhi rushed Deputy Chief Minister Nimmakayala Chinna Rajappa, District Collector Neetu Kumari Prasad and Superintendent of Police to the spot to take up relief and rescue operations. He himself cut short his visit to Delhi and rushed to the accident site along with Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. The State Human Rights Commission issued notices to East Godavari District Collector and SP to submit reports on the incident by July 10. Expressing grief at the loss of lives, Naidu consoled the families of the victims and assured all possible help. He said action would be taken against those found negligent. President Pranab Mukherjee, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress president Sonia Gandhi, Governor ESL Narsimhan and Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao were among the leaders who expressed shock and grief over the deaths.

Petroleum Minister Pradhan ordered a high-level probe into the incident. He also called for setting up of a statutory body for formulating safety measures for the oil and gas industry. The pipeline where the incident occurred was a dedicated line carrying gas to Lanco’s 1,466 MW Kondapalli power plant.

According to GAIL officials, supplies to the plant are being arranged through alternate lines. “The pipeline carried gas from our fields to consumers. Naturally if the pipeline is not there we have to shut some wells. Gas supplies will be restored once the pipeline is repaired,” ONGC Chairman and Managing Director Dinesh K Sarraf said.