ONGC pipeline leak sparks fears of major accident in Assam's Charaideo

A dangerous gas leak at an Oil and Natural Gas Corporation pipeline has left authorities scrambling to prevent a potential disaster in Assam's Charaideo district, with natural gas continuing to escape from the facility despite ongoing containment efforts.

The leak, originating from the Laiphaleng LP-1 manifold in the Bakata Patsaku Laiphaleng area, is believed to have resulted from excessive pressure buildup in the natural gas transport system. ONGC personnel arrived at the site following reports of the incident, though efforts to seal the breach had not succeeded by late Saturday.

Local administration officials and company teams have established monitoring protocols around the affected zone as the uncontrolled release of gas raises concerns about the possibility of a catastrophic event. The volatile nature of natural gas makes the situation particularly precarious, with experts warning that any ignition source could trigger an explosion.

The incident has prompted heightened vigilance from emergency response teams, who remain on standby whilst engineers work to isolate the damaged section of the pipeline and halt the flow of gas from the manifold system.

ONGC has not yet stated the cause of the pressure surge or provided a timeline for when normal operations might resume.