Experts to put out gas fire
2005-01-09 11:47
Dhaka - Experts were due to arrive in northeastern Bangladesh on Sunday to help put out a fire estimated to be destroying gas worth millions of dollars every hour, officials said.
The fire broke out Friday at the Tengratila gas field in Sunamganj, 150km from the capital Dhaka, sending uncontrollable flames soaring 500m high.
Three experts from the Canadian exploration company Niko were expected to join Bangladeshi government officials at the site Sunday to discuss how to extinguish the blaze, the official BSS news agency said.
"Directional drilling will be needed and may take more than a month to put out the blaze," the agency quoted State Minister for Energy and Mineral Resources A K M Mosharraf Hossain as saying.
Government officials said the fire was destroying gas worth at least $160 000 every five minutes. The cost, however, would be borne by Niko, the minister added.
Niko is developing the field in partnership with the state-owned Bangladesh Petroleum Exploration and Production Co (Bapex).
Authorities evacuated some 200 people living nearby as a precautionary measure on Saturday and cordoned off a five-square-kilometre area.
Heat from the blaze could be felt up to a kilometre away, the minister said earlier.
There were no reports of casualties or damage to surrounding properties.
The gas field was abandoned in 1982 but Niko and Bapex officials resumed joint exploration last year, BSS said.
In June 1997 a similar fire at a gas field in northeastern Sylhet district caused losses of at least $2.5bn.