Leak at Andhra Pradesh natural gas well partially contained, say officials

The blowout at the natural gas well owned by the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC-Rajahmundry Asset) on the outskirts of Irusumanda village in Dr. B. R. Ambedkar Konaseema district of Andhra Pradesh has been contained by about 90%, officials said on Tuesday (January 6, 2026) evening.

A massive fire, with flames leaping up to a height of 25 metres, broke out on Monday following a gas leak at the Mori-5 well. The incident occurred during workover activity intended to enhance the flow of natural gas.

“The flames have been partially doused and experts are engaged in capping the well. We have alerted U.S.-based experts from the Wild Well group for their deployment to cap the well. We will take a decision whether to deploy Wild Well experts or not on Wednesday based on the condition of the well. However, the Wild Well experts are ready for their arrival,” Vikram Saxena, Director (Technology & Field Services), ONGC, New Delhi, said.

Mr. Saxena is monitoring the situation on the ground. The ONGC is in a pact with Wild Well, a U.S.-based agency, for well control operations.

“We are expecting to complete capping the well within a week. We never know about the reservoir condition, as sometimes the flow may escalate. However, we require a week to cap the well based on our field experiences,” Mr. Saxena said.

“By Wednesday, the people who have been evacuated from the Mori-5 well surroundings can come back to their habitations, given the prevailing condition at the well. The flames are completely under control,” he said.  

Mr. Saxena stated that the safety management personnel would immediately contain the natural gas flow and deploy equipment into the well before killing it for further assessment of its condition. ONGC Rajahmundry Asset Executive Director Santanu Das has said that the loss of natural gas is yet to be assessed. 

In a joint press conference attended by Mr. Saxena, District Collector R. Mahesh Kumar said that ONGC experts have recommended containing the gas leak and preventing the flames in a phased manner within the next four days to avoid environmental impact on the surroundings of the well. As many as 75 coconut trees and agricultural crops over three acres have been damaged due to the blowout. The evacuees have been advised to return to their village.