In the early hours today, a massive fire broke out at the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) Hazira plant in Surat, Gujarat. The Hazira port, the site of the accident, is situated 8 Km away from the Arabian Sea at the banks of River Tapti.

The fire was a result of 3 continuous blasts that took place in the main terminal line of the plant. So far, no casualties have been reported by the organization.

As per the latest information, the fire has been caused by a rupture in the 36 inch Uran-Mumbai gas pipeline.

The blast was audible up to 10 km as per the information given by various eyewitnesses.

A vapor cloud of hydrocarbons that was visible from a distance had been spotted near the Hazira plant of ONGC at 3:05 am on Thursday. According to Dr. Dhaval Patel, district collector of Surat, various fire tenders have been made present on-site and trying their level best to bring down the blaze of fire.

At the site of the accident, various fire department officials are present. Several police officers have also been deployed at the spot. Traffic has accumulated on the main road due to the chaos as a result of this incident.

Patel also said that the fire broke out in the terminal gas plant and that the ONGC officials are carrying out the technical activity to bring down the air pressure as soon as possible. He further added that gradually, the fire is being brought under control. On an assurance note, he added that there is no need to shift the people in the area. No casualties have been so far reported.

An official statement by the department had been made stating that the fire was observed in the Hazira Gas processing plant in the morning today and that the fire has been brought under control. ONGC tweeted in the wake of the incident that there is no casualty or injury to any person.

As a precautionary measure, all the other 24 terminals of the ONGC pipeline have been closed for now. As an immediate effect, several other plants including Reliance, Adani, Shell, Kribhco, GSPC, LarsenTourbo, GAIL, GSEG, and many more have been shut down as an added step of precaution.