Two firefighters of public sector major OIL were found dead in a wetland abutting the site of a major blaze at its Baghjan well, which has been "uncontrollably" spewing gas for the last 15 days in Assam-s Tinsukia district, officials said on Wednesday. Tension has gripped the area after the fire, which erupted on Tuesday, damaged a stretch of the adjoining forest, houses and vehicles, provoking an attack by the locals on OIL employees. The two firefighters had gone missing after the well caught fire and their bodies were recovered by an NDRF team Wednesday morning, Oil India spokesperson Tridiv Hazarika told PTI.

"Their bodies were recovered from a wetland near the site. Prima facie it looks like that they jumped into the water and got drowned as there is no mark of burn injury. The exact cause will be ascertained only after a post mortem," he said. The duo has been identified as Durlov Gogoi and Tikheswar Gohain, both assistant operators of the fire service department of the company, the official said. Gogoi was a well-known football player who had represented Assam at several national tournaments in Under-19 and Under-21 categories. He was the goalkeeper of the Oil India football team.