A HUGE gas-filled crater has been burning in Turkmenistan for 51 years despite calls for it to be extinguished.
The Darvaza Derweze gas crater is also called The Door to Hell and has been burning for half a century.
The Darvaza Derweze gas crater in Turkmenistan is also called The Door to Hell
Most reports claim the Door to Hell started as a Soviet experiment in 1971.
It has a depth of 98 feet and is located in Derweze, Turkmenistan.
Scientists supposedly wanted to use the remote desert site to drill for oil, but the ground beneath the rig collapsed.
Fearing the spread of poisonous gases into surrounding towns, geologists were said to intentionally light the natural methane gas on fire, thinking it would burn off in a few weeks.
The hole has been burning continuously ever since and was actively encouraged as a tourist attraction by the Turkmen government.
The crate does pose some dangers.
At night, camel spiders are attracted to its light and fall to their deaths in the pit’s fiery depths.
Earlier this year, Turkmenistan President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov called for the fire to finally be extinguished after 51 years.
He ordered experts to “find a solution to extinguish the fire”.
Berdymukhamedov told Agence France-Presse(opens in new tab) (AFP): “We are losing valuable natural resources for which we could get significant profits and use them for improving the well-being of our people.”
Turkmenistan is largely dependent on its gas exports so the Door to Hell could be impacting this.
t’s unclear when or if it will be stopped.
In 2013, explorer George Kourounis wore a protective suit and climbed inside the burning crater.
The Door to Hell became a tourist attraction
The crater has burned continuously for 51 years
Animals fall into the hole and meet a grisly end
