The oil well fire in Assam’s Baghjan has brought unimaginable destruction with it. That of property, wildlife and spirit.
Forced to leave their houses with whatever they could get their hands on, people are heartbroken and the tragedy is too big for words.
There is one thing that explains it though: This picture.

Clicked by freelance photographer Diganta Rajkhowa, this picture is a heart-shattering representation of the pain of people whose lives were changed in a matter of a few moments.
Their fault? In this case, none whatsoever.
In the picture, a man and a woman can be seen looking at the fire in distance, and many could connect with the melancholy of it.
Natural gas leakage led to blast and huge fire broke out in Baghjan of Assam.more than 10k people affected. A couple watching their fields and houses burnt by the massive fire.heartbreaking. @republic @ANI @ZeeNews pic.twitter.com/5DxRhEEBqF
— Jitankur Das (@dasjitankur) June 10, 2020
1/2
— Abhishekk (@AbhishekK_10) June 10, 2020
Baghjan Tinsukia,Assam.A couple is lukng at wht thy left behnd,Thy saw their house being burn.Many crop fields,houses has been destroyed,many animals died nd Its still burning.2 firefighters found dead today
I wsh Baghjan could get the same kind of outrage lyk Amazan Forest pic.twitter.com/zTt9IR9UDN
A couple looking at the home they left behind. It takes years to build one, but it takes a few moments to burn one. The tragedy of #Baghjan.#TheAssamTribune
— #IAMDEHINGPATKAI ☘ (@anu_jironi) June 10, 2020
Photo by: Diganta Rajkhowa.
source: The Assam Tribune #BaghjanGasLeak #BaghjanOilField #assamfire pic.twitter.com/9rQVT6zS6G
A couple looking at the home they left behind. সপোন জাহ গৈছে, দূৰৈৰ জুইকুৰা বুকুতে জ্বলিছে৷
— Pranjit Saikia (@SaikiaPranjit) June 10, 2020
Photo by: Diganta Rajkhowa. Collected from: The Assam Tribune#Baghjan #BaghjanGasLeak pic.twitter.com/4YLYzpEtmy
Tragic news from Assam’s Baghjan. A fire caused by an accident at Oil India Ltd has caused major destruction to flora, fauna & endangered species like the Xihu & the Gangetic River Dolphin. Details from @NasreenAssam Photo credits @DigantaRajkho11 #OilIndiaLimited #assamfire pic.twitter.com/yz9i5qBGKV
— Mitali Mukherjee (@MitaliLive) June 10, 2020
A Couple Looking at their home they left Behind. It takes years to Build one , But takes a Few Moment to Destroy one .
— Devansh Bisht (@DevanshBisht9) June 10, 2020
Such Heart Wrenching Pictures😔😔, We Pray for their Well Being.🙏🙏#AssamOILfire #BaghjanGasLeak #NortheastIndia #Assam pic.twitter.com/wD2NAVHuhX
The fire has claimed the lives of two firefighters and has led to evacuation of 1,600 families. Most of them are kept together in vacant schools, which has the potential of turning the situation into a COVID-19 nightmare.
Adding to the heartbreak is enormous loss of flora and fauna in this region flourishing with biodiversity.