Authorities put out 5 months Indian inferno

An oil well fire that raged for more than five months in the northeast Indian state of Assam has finally been extinguished.

Fire fighters had battled the blaze since an explosion on June 9, weeks after the well blew out and began discharging huge quantities of natural gas.

Two employees of the state-owned company died in the blast.

A third worker died in September after an accident at the site.

Experts from Singapore, the United States and Canada joined efforts to contain the inferno, and oil India spokesman Tridiv Hazarika said the fire had now been doused completely.

Thousands of villagers in Tinsukia district had been relocated to relief camps after the blaze started.