A decision has been made in Turkmenistan to extinguish the burning gas crater that has existed in the Karakum Desert for over 50 years. President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov gave a corresponding order to the Deputy Prime Minister for Oil and Gas Complex Shakhym Abdrakhmanov.

Speaking at a meeting of the government via video link, the head of state noted that natural gas has been burned in large quantities in the area of the village of Darvaza for many years. According to the Turkmen leader, this situation has a detrimental effect on the environment and health of people living nearby.

In this case, we are talking about a famous tourist attraction, which received the official poetic name "Shining of the Karakum Desert", and among foreign tourists it is known as the "Gates of Hell". This is a huge "funnel" located in the central part of the Karakum Desert, 266 kilometers north of Ashgabat, with a diameter of about 60 meters and a depth of 20 meters, from which hundreds of fiery tongues break out.

The burning crater has a man-made origin, although after half a century of its existence it is perceived by many as a natural object. In 1971, when an exploratory well was being drilled at this place, a man-made accident occurred and a deep failure was formed: the drilling rig went underground, the bottom of the pit was filled with groundwater, through which streams of natural gas began to appear abundantly on the surface. Geologists decided to set fire to the gas coming out of the hole, hoping that it would completely burn out in a few days. However, the fire still burns to this day.

Source: Turkmenistan.ru