The President of Turkmenistan has ordered the extinguishing of a fire at the "Gate to Hell" that has been burning for 50 years

A huge crater that has been burning in flames for 50 years non-stop and has become a coveted tourist attraction, is facing closure when the President of Turkmenistan announces that he intends to extinguish the fire due to the environmental damage it causes - but is it even possible?

Not to be missed

09/01/2022

Sunday, 09 January 2022, 11:54 Updated: 13:03

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The Gate to Hell (Alessandro Belgiojoso)

In the heart of the Karakum Desert in Turkmenistan there is a huge crater that has been burning in flames for 50 years without a break.

The spectacular tourist attraction has been dubbed the "Gate of Hell" and attracts masses of tourists from around the world, although the local authorities have repeatedly stated that they are not interested in them and are not proud of this attraction.

Now the President of Turkmenistan, Gurbangoli Bardimukhammedov, has ordered the extinguishing of the great fire and the final closing of the gate to Hell.

Although it is an attraction that is very unfortunate to destroy, its intentions are good.

More on Walla!

Really not to be missed: rare photos from the "Gate of Hell" that has been burning for 50 years

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The "Gate of Hell" is a crater 70 meters in diameter and 30 meters deep located near the village of Darwaza, an area rich in natural gas deposits.

In 1971 Soviet geologists drilled into the ground and their drilling equipment collapsed.

So they discovered that the cistern was full of toxic gas and to get rid of it and take back their equipment that sank into the cistern - they decided to deplete the gas by lighting it. They estimated that the gas would run out in a few days - but in practice the gas continues to

leak Dictator Gurbangoli Berdymukhammedov announced on television over the weekend that he planned to put out the fire in light of the environmental damage it was causing. Trying to find a way to put out the flames even then, however his previous attempt failed.

The president announced: "We are losing valuable natural resources for which we can make significant gains and use them to improve the well-being of our people. The crater is adversely affecting both the environment and the health of the people living nearby."

Despite the announcement, so far no practical solution has been found to put out the fire, so it is possible that his second attempt will also come to naught.

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This is how it looks up close:

According to the U.S. Department of Energy's statistics unit, Turkmenistan has the sixth largest natural gas reservoir in the world and this is what causes the incessant combustion, but many believe the place simply serves as one gateway to hell - and the excavation accidentally exposed it.

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