Turkmenistan plans to close its ‘Gateway to Hell’
The president of Turkmenistan is calling for an end to one of the country’s most notable but infernal sights — the blazing natural gas crater widely referred to as the “Gateway to Hell”.
Citing environmental and economic concerns, President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov appeared on state television on Saturday telling officials to put out the flames at the Darvaza gas crater in the middle of the vast Karakum
desert.
In 2010, Berdymukhamedov also ordered experts to find a way to put out the flames that have been burning ever since a Soviet drilling operation went awry.
Mr Berdymukhamedov said that the man-made crater “negatively affects both the environment and the health of the people living nearby”.
“We are losing valuable natural resources for which we could get significant profits and use them for improving the well-being of our people,” he said in televised remarks.
Mr Berdymukhamedov instructed officials to “find a solution to extinguish the fire”.
The crater was created in 1971 during a Soviet drilling accident that hit a gas cavern, causing the drilling rig to fall in and the earth to collapse underneath it.
To prevent the dangerous fumes from spreading, the Soviets decided to burn off the gas by setting it on fire.
The pit, which was expected to burn off in a few weeks, has been ablaze ever since and previous attempts to put it out have been unsuccessful.
The resulting crater — 70 metres wide and 20 metres deep — is a popular attraction for the small number of tourists who come to Turkmenistan, a country that is difficult to enter.