Science & Technology

Turkmenistan's 'Gateway to Hell' to be extinguished

By T.K. Randall
January 9, 2022

Image: Darvasa Gas Crater Panorama
Credit: Tormod Sandtorv / CC BY-SA 2.0 (adapted) Located in Derweze, Ahal Province, the burning pit received its terrifying nickname due to its ominous appearance and because it has remained on fire for more than 40 years.

Originally thought to be an oil field site, it has been speculated that the pit was opened up by Soviet engineers after a drilling rig they set up collapsed into a large crater.

Concerned about the release of toxic fumes, they set the gas on fire believing that it would burn out within weeks, but instead it remained alight for more than four decades.

Now though, Turkmenistan's President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov has declared that the 'Gateway to Hell' is to be extinguished - putting an end to the inferno once and for all."[The crater] negatively affects both the environment and the health of the people living nearby," he said during a recent television address.

"We are losing valuable natural resources for which we could get significant profits and use them for improving the wellbeing of our people."

There is a snag, however - Berdymukhamedov had previously instructed experts to find a way to extinguish the fire all the way back in 2010 but they were unable to come up with a solution.

Whether things will be different this time around remains to be seen.


Source: MSN.com

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