Turkmenistan might extinguish Gates of Hell

Specialists of the Turkmengaz state concern have prepared a project to extinguish the gas crater Darvaza in the Karakum desert, which caught fire more than 50 years ago due to the collapse of an exploration mine, said Irina Luryeva, the head of the laboratory of the state concern’s Scientific Research Institute, Report informs via TASS.

This is one of the tourist attractions of the country. The crater, nicknamed the Gates of Hell by the locals and tourists, has been officially called the Shining of Karakum since 2018.

"We have drawn up a project to limit the flow of gas to this emergency well," Luryeva said, adding that the proposal "is at the stage of approval" by the relevant departments.

According to her, the field where the accident occurred has a very complex geological structure, characterized by many very thin rock layers that lie shallow from the surface - up to 1,000 meters.