Gas leak from ONGC well triggers scare in Mehsana village

PALANPUR: There was a scare at Santhol village in Mehsana following natural gas leakage from a well of Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC).
The panic-stricken people spent a sleepless night as they felt discomfort due to a burning sensation in their eyes and throat caused by the leakage from well number 185.
"The entire village spent the night alarmed at the noise coming from the well," said sarpanch Kanubhai Patel.
"The noise was so loud that people did not even dare to go near the well," said sub-inspector at Santhal police station NG Khatana.
The village school had meager attendance on Tuesday as the people did not send their wards from home. The site was visited by local administrative officials. Santhal is located 25 km from Mehsana and has a population of 4500 persons.
ONGC officials said the 'blow out' started at 9 pm on Monday when air injected the well while work was on over a contractual rig. The area was cordoned off by Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) and State Reserve Police.
"Crisis management team is the on job. Some air is coming out with some amount of gas. There is no injury reported to the crew or any person. The villages are located far from the site," said in-charge chief manager (corporate communication) Debasish Saraswati.