We never knew such a place existed!
The leader of Turkmenistan announced that they would finally close the “Gates of Hell” that have been burning continuously in the country’s Karakum desert for five decades, since 1971.
Photo via UPI
President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov appeared on Turkmenistan’s state TV channel on January 8th, urging officials to “find a solution to extinguish the fire,” citing concerns for the health of the people living near the flaming crater.
“We are losing valuable natural resources for which we could get significant profits and use them for improving the well-being of our people,” Berdymukhamedov said as reported by AFP.
The “Gates of Hell” or also known by the far-less-apocalyptic name of the Darvaza gas crater, is a large hole in the desert measuring roughly 70 meters wide and at least 20 meters deep.
According to LiveScience, excavation of the hold began in 1971 during a Soviet drilling operation to extract gas, but disaster struck when the ground beneath the drill rig collapsed and the rig plunged into a natural gas cavern.
Photo via BBC
As noxious methane gas leaked into the air, geologists decided to set the crater on fire, estimating that the gas within would only burn for a few weeks. But 50 years later, the Gates of Hell have continued to burn.
It has also become one of Turkmenistan’s top tourist destinations.
The burning crater gained fame in 2019 when President Berdymukhamedov released a video of himself driving through the desert near the hole in a rally car.
The president previously ordered experts to shut the Gates of Hell in 2010, though those efforts were unsuccessful.
Oh no. Well, hopefully they’re able to close it next time!
By: Aishah Akashah Ahadiat
