Guwahati, September 19:

Firefighters battling a massive oil well blaze in India’s northeastern state of Assam will need at least another week to douse the fire, officials said today. A spokesman for the state-owned exploration firm, Oil India, said efforts to put out the fire and cap the well have been delayed because of equipment shortages. “We expect to extinguish the fire by end of the week,” Oil India group general manager JK Talukdar told AFP by telephone from the company headquarters in Duliajan in eastern Assam.

“The equipment is being transported by road from various parts of the country and is expected to arrive later in the week and then only the actual work to douse the fire would begin.” Oil India had initially tried to douse the flames but lacked the expertise and equipment, and summoned specialised help from the Texas-based Boots and Coots International Well Control. Two experts from Boots and Coots arrived at the site on Friday and two more joined yesterday but they need more equipment and machinery not available in Assam, Talukdar said. The well was damaged last Tuesday causing oil and natural gas to escape from the site in a remote tea-growing area. The gas ignited on Thursday afternoon. The well blowout has forced Oil India to shut down operations at the Dikom oilfield.