The ‘Gate to Hell' has been open for 50 years but is finally burning out
The Gate to Hell has been open since the 1980s – but it might finally be running out of gas.
Deep in the arid desert of Turkmenistan, a huge crater has been burning with the wrath of a thousand flames, night and day, day and night.
Tourists flock to its precipitous edges, while after dark, spiders are drawn to its brilliant glow, hypnotically crawling to a fiery death.
But this isn't Hell. It's a massive hole accidentally set alight for decades by Soviet engineers. Obviously.
Now, it looks like it is finally burning out, after the government launched a bid to deprive it of the methane it needs to keep burning.
Satellite images show how it is now just smoldering in the desert, a far cry from the sheet of fire once seen for miles which earned its nickname.
AKI news agency, based in neighbouring Kyrgyzstan, reported that the burning has reduced by more than three times compared to August 2023.
Irina Luryeva, of the Research Institute of Natural Gas of the Turkmengas Concern said increased gas production nearby made it possible 'to take control of the filtration flow, now the gas supply to the burning crater is gradually decreasing.'
No-one knows how the pit, officially called the Darvaza crater, was first formed before it was set aflame. Perhaps there was simply no one around. Or maybe it's classified.
Some believe engineers were drilling for oil when a rig gave way and punched into a massive underground natural gas cavern, forming the huge crater, 70 metres wide and 30 metres deep.
Whatever its origin, it's fair to say its legendary status hails from one very bad decision.
In the 1980s, as the crater continued leaking poisonous gases, those in the know thought the best solution was to simply burn them off.
Side note: Turkmenistan has the sixth largest gas reserves in the world. Enough to keep aglow for quite some time.
And so, 50 years on, it relentlessly rumbled on, burning methane that would really be better off in the ground.
Former president Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov demanded that a plan to finally extinguish the crater should be put in place, as far back as 2010.
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In 2022, he appeared on state television to tell officials to put out the hellish flames, saying the human-made crater 'negatively affects both the environment and the health of the people living nearby'.
He added: 'We are losing valuable natural resources for which we could get significant profits and use them for improving the wellbeing of our people', and instructed officials to 'find a solution to extinguish the fire'.
It took until the following year for the plan to actually take shape – and even now, it hasn't gone out completely.
Turkmenistan: the lowdown
Turkmenistan is 80% desert
Turkmen melons have their own national holiday
Turkmenistan has the sixth largest oil and natural gas reserves in the world
It is one of the least visited countries in the world, reporting 14,438 tourists in 2019. It just reopened for tourists in 2023
The country had a President for Life, Saparmurat Niyazov, until his death in 2006. He ruled for 21 years.
The country formed a space agency in 2011, and launched a satellite in 2015
Only one man has ever descended into the Gates of Hell, explorer George Kourounis. During his visit met with local geologists 'who have been there for decades', and said the collapse may have happened in the 1960s.
'It's hard for me to back that up, but this is basically straight from the horse's mouth,' said Mr Kourounis.
But anything is possible when there are no records to confirm or deny.
'Day or night, it is clearly burning. You can hear the roar of the fire if you stand at the edge,' said Mr Kourounis.
'The heat, if you are downwind of it, is unbearable.
'There are thousands of little flames all around the edges and towards the centre. Then there are two large flames in the middle at the bottom, and that is probably where the drilling rig hole was for the natural gas extraction.'
But its mystery origin is now secondary, as there's a bigger problem at hand – climate change. Burning gas 24/7 isn't a great look in 2024.
It is still alight for now.
So as the Gates of Hell continue to burn, tourists will flock to the landlocked Asian country to get a last glimpse of this strange, and disastrous, human error.
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Metro
8 hours ago
- Metro
The ‘Gate to Hell' has been open for 50 years but is finally burning out
The Gate to Hell has been open since the 1980s – but it might finally be running out of gas. Deep in the arid desert of Turkmenistan, a huge crater has been burning with the wrath of a thousand flames, night and day, day and night. Tourists flock to its precipitous edges, while after dark, spiders are drawn to its brilliant glow, hypnotically crawling to a fiery death. But this isn't Hell. It's a massive hole accidentally set alight for decades by Soviet engineers. Obviously. Now, it looks like it is finally burning out, after the government launched a bid to deprive it of the methane it needs to keep burning. Satellite images show how it is now just smoldering in the desert, a far cry from the sheet of fire once seen for miles which earned its nickname. AKI news agency, based in neighbouring Kyrgyzstan, reported that the burning has reduced by more than three times compared to August 2023. Irina Luryeva, of the Research Institute of Natural Gas of the Turkmengas Concern said increased gas production nearby made it possible 'to take control of the filtration flow, now the gas supply to the burning crater is gradually decreasing.' No-one knows how the pit, officially called the Darvaza crater, was first formed before it was set aflame. Perhaps there was simply no one around. Or maybe it's classified. Some believe engineers were drilling for oil when a rig gave way and punched into a massive underground natural gas cavern, forming the huge crater, 70 metres wide and 30 metres deep. Whatever its origin, it's fair to say its legendary status hails from one very bad decision. In the 1980s, as the crater continued leaking poisonous gases, those in the know thought the best solution was to simply burn them off. Side note: Turkmenistan has the sixth largest gas reserves in the world. Enough to keep aglow for quite some time. And so, 50 years on, it relentlessly rumbled on, burning methane that would really be better off in the ground. Former president Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov demanded that a plan to finally extinguish the crater should be put in place, as far back as 2010. Up Next In 2022, he appeared on state television to tell officials to put out the hellish flames, saying the human-made crater 'negatively affects both the environment and the health of the people living nearby'. He added: 'We are losing valuable natural resources for which we could get significant profits and use them for improving the wellbeing of our people', and instructed officials to 'find a solution to extinguish the fire'. It took until the following year for the plan to actually take shape – and even now, it hasn't gone out completely. Turkmenistan: the lowdown Turkmenistan is 80% desert Turkmen melons have their own national holiday Turkmenistan has the sixth largest oil and natural gas reserves in the world It is one of the least visited countries in the world, reporting 14,438 tourists in 2019. It just reopened for tourists in 2023 The country had a President for Life, Saparmurat Niyazov, until his death in 2006. He ruled for 21 years. The country formed a space agency in 2011, and launched a satellite in 2015 Only one man has ever descended into the Gates of Hell, explorer George Kourounis. During his visit met with local geologists 'who have been there for decades', and said the collapse may have happened in the 1960s. 'It's hard for me to back that up, but this is basically straight from the horse's mouth,' said Mr Kourounis. But anything is possible when there are no records to confirm or deny. 'Day or night, it is clearly burning. You can hear the roar of the fire if you stand at the edge,' said Mr Kourounis. 'The heat, if you are downwind of it, is unbearable. 'There are thousands of little flames all around the edges and towards the centre. Then there are two large flames in the middle at the bottom, and that is probably where the drilling rig hole was for the natural gas extraction.' But its mystery origin is now secondary, as there's a bigger problem at hand – climate change. Burning gas 24/7 isn't a great look in 2024. It is still alight for now. So as the Gates of Hell continue to burn, tourists will flock to the landlocked Asian country to get a last glimpse of this strange, and disastrous, human error.
Metro
11 hours ago
- Metro
The 'Gate to Hell' has been open for 50 years but is finally burning out
The Gate to Hell has been open since the 1980s – but it might finally be running out of gas. Deep in the arid desert of Turkmenistan, a huge crater has been burning with the wrath of a thousand flames, night and day, day and night. Tourists flock to its precipitous edges, while after dark, spiders are drawn to its brilliant glow, hypnotically crawling to a fiery death. But this isn't Hell. It's a massive hole accidentally set alight for decades by Soviet engineers. Obviously. Now, it looks like it is finally burning out, after the government launched a bid to deprive it of the methane it needs to keep burning. Satellite images show how it is now just smoldering in the desert, a far cry from the sheet of fire once seen for miles which earned its nickname. AKI news agency, based in neighbouring Kyrgyzstan, reported that the burning has reduced by more than three times compared to August 2023. Irina Luryeva, of the Research Institute of Natural Gas of the Turkmengas Concern said increased gas production nearby made it possible 'to take control of the filtration flow, now the gas supply to the burning crater is gradually decreasing.' No-one knows how the pit, officially called the Darvaza crater, was first formed before it was set aflame. Perhaps there was simply no one around. Or maybe it's classified. Some believe engineers were drilling for oil when a rig gave way and punched into a massive underground natural gas cavern, forming the huge crater, 70 metres wide and 30 metres deep. Whatever its origin, it's fair to say its legendary status hails from one very bad decision. In the 1980s, as the crater continued leaking poisonous gases, those in the know thought the best solution was to simply burn them off. Side note: Turkmenistan has the sixth largest gas reserves in the world. Enough to keep aglow for quite some time. And so, 50 years on, it relentlessly rumbled on, burning methane that would really be better off in the ground. Former president Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov demanded that a plan to finally extinguish the crater should be put in place, as far back as 2010. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video In 2022, he appeared on state television to tell officials to put out the hellish flames, saying the human-made crater 'negatively affects both the environment and the health of the people living nearby'. He added: 'We are losing valuable natural resources for which we could get significant profits and use them for improving the wellbeing of our people', and instructed officials to 'find a solution to extinguish the fire'. It took until the following year for the plan to actually take shape – and even now, it hasn't gone out completely. Turkmenistan is 80% desert Turkmen melons have their own national holiday Turkmenistan has the sixth largest oil and natural gas reserves in the world It is one of the least visited countries in the world, reporting 14,438 tourists in 2019. It just reopened for tourists in 2023 The country had a President for Life, Saparmurat Niyazov, until his death in 2006. He ruled for 21 years. The country formed a space agency in 2011, and launched a satellite in 2015 Only one man has ever descended into the Gates of Hell, explorer George Kourounis. During his visit met with local geologists 'who have been there for decades', and said the collapse may have happened in the 1960s. 'It's hard for me to back that up, but this is basically straight from the horse's mouth,' said Mr Kourounis. But anything is possible when there are no records to confirm or deny. 'Day or night, it is clearly burning. You can hear the roar of the fire if you stand at the edge,' said Mr Kourounis. 'The heat, if you are downwind of it, is unbearable. More Trending 'There are thousands of little flames all around the edges and towards the centre. Then there are two large flames in the middle at the bottom, and that is probably where the drilling rig hole was for the natural gas extraction.' But its mystery origin is now secondary, as there's a bigger problem at hand – climate change. Burning gas 24/7 isn't a great look in 2024. It is still alight for now. So as the Gates of Hell continue to burn, tourists will flock to the landlocked Asian country to get a last glimpse of this strange, and disastrous, human error. MORE: 6,000-year-old mystery skeletons could rewrite human history MORE: 'Doomsday shipwreck' stuffed with explosives could unleash a Thames tsunami MORE: How four children survived a plane crash that killed every adult on board
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D-Day: Why today's young generation will be just as brave if war comes
In 1933, the Oxford University Union overwhelmingly passed a motion 'That this House will under no circumstances fight for its King and country'. A few years later, many who voted in favour did just that Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Exactly 81 years ago today, at around 6.30 in the early morning light, the first waves of what amounted to some 156,000 Allied soldiers by the end of the day landed on the beaches of Normandy. They had been preceded the night before by roughly 23,400 comrades who landed by parachute and glider. The long-awaited liberation of Nazi-occupied Europe had begun. It was, and still is, the largest seaborne assault in history, never mind the air landings. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The cost was high. Across the five landing beaches – Omaha, Utah, Sword, Juno, and Gold – and in the air assault, the Allies suffered some 10,000 casualties, 4,414 killed in action. US soldiers approach Omaha beach in Normandy on D-Day, June 6, 1944. They were among the first wave of troops (Picture: Robert F Sargent, US Coast Guard/Galerie Bilderwelt) | Getty Images The beginning of the end The scale of the operation was truly breathtaking. The invasion fleet, drawn from eight different navies, comprised 6,939 vessels, including 1,213 warships and 4,126 landing craft. Most of the fleet was provided by Britain: some 892 warships and 3,261 landing craft. In the air, around 11,600 Allied aircraft of all types were involved, including 5,656 from the Royal Air Force. They achieved total air supremacy over the entire operation and few German Luftwaffe sorties were flown on the day. For the young men involved – and they were mainly young men – the experience must have been in turn exhilarating, frightening, and terrifying all at once. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad And yet they did it. A combination of meticulous planning, lengthy training, and good junior leadership saw them through. Plus an element of luck of course. Nothing can prevent a random bullet or shell finding its mark if you just happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. The invasion signalled the beginning of the end of the Second World War in Europe. Although there was almost another year of hard fighting to follow, the combination of assault by the Allies in France and the Soviet armies pressing in the east, plus the non-stop bombing campaign over Germany, meant there could ultimately be only one winner. Nazi Germany and her armies, air force, and naval assets were ground down relentlessly until their final surrender in May 1945. Members of the Royal Marines land on Juno beach, Normandy, on D-Day (Picture: Hulton Archive) | Getty Images Fooling the Germans And yet D-Day hadn't been without its hiccups. Bad weather had caused the operation to be cancelled the day before when many troops had already embarked on the landing ships, and the rough seas made it doubtful right up to the last few hours whether it could go ahead on June 6. There was also the fear that the Germans might have known what was coming. Notwithstanding the Allies' complex and masterful deception plan designed to persuade the Germans that the real invasion would take place across the Pas de Calais, the shortest route across the English Channel, nobody was quite sure that they had been fooled. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad On top of this a remarkable series of codewords for the invasion, such as "Utah", "Omaha", "Overlord", and "Mulberry", appeared in the Daily Telegraph crossword in the weeks leading up to D-Day. This raised concerns within the Allied security and intelligence services, as similar coincidences with the Dieppe raid had occurred in 1942. However, further investigation concluded that the crossword compiler, Leonard Dawe, had no knowledge of the invasion and the clues and answers were merely coincidences. Despite these and other sundry issues and scares, the deception plan was remarkably successful and the Normandy landings took the Germans completely by surprise. It was so successful, in fact, that for several weeks after the troops hit the beaches, the Germans still thought what had taken place was merely a diversionary attack and the main invasion would happen elsewhere. When they were finally persuaded that D-Day was indeed the main event, it was too late. Piper Bill Millin, seen later, played 'Hielan' Laddie' and 'The Road to the Isles' as British soldiers landed on Sword beach on D-Day (Picture: Galerie Bilderwelt) | Getty Images An existential threat A military effort of such a colossal magnitude is, of course, beyond Britain's Armed Forces today. Our services have atrophied to such an extent since then that we have but a fraction of the assets nowadays, not helped by what is coyly referred to as the 'Peace Dividend' after the end of the Cold war and the dissolution of the Soviet Union in the late 1980s. In fact, a similar military adventure is beyond the powers of the world's only true superpower, the United States, too. It would now take many years for the former Allies to build up their resources to a similar level. Thankfully, unlike in 1944, we are not facing an existential threat to our national survival and the enemies and potential enemies we face today are few and far away, in conventional military terms at least. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad A question that is often asked is whether today's young men and women would be prepared to fight for the UK and put their lives on the line as did previous generations. Polling tends to be ambivalent on the subject, with some saying yes and others no. I am reminded that the Oxford University Union held a debate on the very same topic in 1933, the year Hitler rose to power in Germany. The motion was "That this House will under no circumstances fight for its King and country", and it passed with 275 votes for and 153 against. And yet a few years later, many who voted for it were in uniform. I suspect today's generation would follow the same pattern. It's easy to hold an abstract opinion on war when your only experience of it is online or on TV. But if your family home has just been flattened or your brother or uncle torpedoed and sunk at sea, then I think attitudes would rapidly change. However, thanks to those who landed on the Normandy beaches back in 1944 and fought through to the eventual defeat of the enemy, we do not face a similar dilemma today. Let's hope it stays that way.
