The well owned by state exploration firm Oil India was damaged Tuesday, causing oil and natural gas to escape from the site in a remote tea-growing area of Assam state.

The gas ignited on Thursday afternoon, sending flames and smoke soaring into the sky.

“This could be the worst-ever fire (in the state) with the blaze rising at least 35 to 40 feet (10.5 to 12 metres) creating thick blankets of black smoke in the area,” said Oil India spokesman Prassanta Barkakati.

Barkakati said the company had called in a team of Russian experts to control the blaze and plug the flow of oil gushing out of the well 520 kilometres east of Assam’s main city of Guwahati.

Police said local firefighters arrived with 25 trucks Thursday afternoon, but found it tough to move closer to the well with the fire raging.

“The fire is visible from a distance of about five kilometres with the smoke almost blanketing the sun,” police officer B. Das said. “There is panic in the area as there is a fear that the fire might spread with a breeze sweeping the area.”

Thousands of people from nearby villages have been evacuated after the blaze erupted.

“We have evacuated about 3,000 people, most of them tea garden workers, to safer areas with the fire continuing to rage,” an official said.—AFP