logo
Turkmenistan's ‘Gateway to Hell' fire, burning since 1971, now tamed

Turkmenistan's ‘Gateway to Hell' fire, burning since 1971, now tamed

Hindustan Times07-06-2025
The 'Gateway to Hell', an enormous fire that has been raging in Turkmenistan for more than 50 years, has been tamed.
The Turkmenistan government said that the authorities have been able to 'significantly reduce' the giant gas field fire at the Darvaza Gas Crater in the Karakum desert, which has been raging for more than half a century since 1971.
According to the officials, the fire has been "reduced threefold." However, they did not specify the time frame within which this feat was achieved.
"Whereas before a huge glow from the blaze was visible from several kilometres away, hence the name 'Gateway to Hell', today only a faint source of combustion remains,' Irina Luryeva, a director at state-owned energy company Turkmengaz, told news agency AFP.
"Numerous wells have been drilled around the fire to capture methane," she said.
Turkmenistan is one of the world's most closed countries. It is also estimated to have the world's fourth-largest gas reserves. Along with so much gas reserve, it is also the world's biggest emitter of methane through gas leaks, according to the International Energy Agency. The claim is denied by the local authorities.
The Darvaza Gas Crater is a massive gas well that was ignited in 1971, when Turkmenistan was part of the Soviet Union.
The crater, also known as the 'Gateway to Hell', ignited when Soviet scientists tried to experiment with it while looking for a solution to the region's excessive methane problem. A group of scientists travelled into the Karakum desert and dug a gigantic hole to study the methane leaks in the area. But what they didn't realise at the time was that they had accidentally drilled right into an underground gas field.
The group decided to ignite the methane, hoping to solve the leakage problem by burning the gas off. But that simple decision created the longest continuously burning man-made fire in the world's history. The crater became a boon for Turkmenistan's economy by becoming a big tourist attraction, bringing in much-needed cash into the country. But the rightly named 'Gateway to Hell' also became a cause of severe environmental damage.
While the fire was ignited in hopes of solving the methane problem in the area, it became a source of massive quantities of the gas, which is a big contributor to the global problem of climate change.
According to a report by The Guardian, Methane leaks alone from Turkmenistan's two main fossil fuel fields cause more global heating a year than the entire carbon emissions of the UK.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

‘Positive move': China hails India's decision to resume issuing visas for Chinese nationals
‘Positive move': China hails India's decision to resume issuing visas for Chinese nationals

First Post

time10 hours ago

  • First Post

‘Positive move': China hails India's decision to resume issuing visas for Chinese nationals

China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Wednesday (July 23) called the development 'positive', noting that it would make cross-border travel easier read more People look at a portrait of Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Museum of the Communist Party of China in Beijing on February 23, 2025. Representative image/AFP China has welcomed India's move to start issuing tourist visas to Chinese citizens again from July 24. China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Wednesday (July 23) called the development 'positive', noting that it would make cross-border travel easier. 'We take note of India's resumption of tourist visas for Chinese citizens. This is a positive move. Easing cross-border travel is widely beneficial. China will maintain communication and consultation with India to further facilitate travel between the two countries,' the MFA posted on X. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Earlier this year, reports surfaced that India and China had agreed in principle to restart direct flights, resume visa issuance, and revive the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra for pilgrims, marking a step toward mending ties strained since the 2020 border clashes. India's Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri recently spent two days in Beijing, a sign of renewed diplomatic efforts between Asia's two biggest economies. 'As agreed between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping at their meeting in Kazan in October, Foreign Secretary and Chinese Vice Foreign Minister HE Mr Sun Weidong reviewed the state of India-China bilateral relations comprehensively and agreed to take certain people-centric steps to stabilise and rebuild ties,' the Ministry of External Affairs stated in a release. 'The two sides decided to resume the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra in the summer of 2025,' it added. The release also noted, 'They also agreed to hold an early meeting of the India-China Expert Level Mechanism to discuss the resumption of the provision of hydrological data and other cooperation pertaining to trans-border rivers.' Jaishankar's visit to China This month, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing during a Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) event. In talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, Jaishankar stressed a long-term approach to resolving issues. 'Incumbent on us to address aspects related to the border, normalising people-to-people exchanges and avoiding restrictive trade measures and roadblocks,' he posted on X afterwards. 'Confident that on the foundation of mutual respect, mutual interest and mutual sensitivity, ties can develop along a positive trajectory,' he added. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD India-China tensions Tensions flared after a military standoff in eastern Ladakh began in May 2020, escalating with a deadly clash in the Galwan Valley that June. Over the past nine months, India and China have worked to normalise relations, culminating in the end of the military face-off along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in October last year. However, while troops have disengaged from key friction points, full de-escalation remains pending, with each side still stationing 50,000 to 60,000 troops along the LAC in eastern Ladakh. Last year's meeting between Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Kazan set a hopeful tone for improving and developing China-India relations.

Tearful relatives wait as rescue teams search wreck after 35 killed in Vietnam boat disaster
Tearful relatives wait as rescue teams search wreck after 35 killed in Vietnam boat disaster

New Indian Express

time4 days ago

  • New Indian Express

Tearful relatives wait as rescue teams search wreck after 35 killed in Vietnam boat disaster

HALONG BAY: Relatives anxiously sat beside ambulances on the wharf of one of Vietnam's most popular tourist sites on Sunday, waiting for news of loved ones who were on a tourist boat that capsized killing dozens. Fruits and flowers were laid on the coast for the at least 35 killed in the wreckage on Saturday in what some called Ha Long Bay's worst disaster. As rescuers worked into Sunday morning to salvage the sunken boat, a handful of people were still missing. The tourist vessel called "Wonder Sea" had been carrying 49 people, including several children, around the UNESCO World Heritage Site, according to provincial police. Hoang Quang rushed from Hanoi to Quang Ninh province at 2:00 am on Sunday for news of his cousin and her family who were on the boat when it capsized. The couple -- a housewife and fruit seller married to a bus driver -- had "tried their best" to afford the trip around the world-famous bay. "They found the body of (the husband), not my cousin yet," Hoang told AFP. He was "so shocked" when he heard news of the incident and immediately went to the wharf with other worried family members. "Suddenly the victims were my relatives -- anyone would be scared. We didn't know what to do, except to keep waiting," he said. "We think that as we are all here, she knew and she would show up. We are all so anxious... We just wish and pray for her to come back here to us."

Vietnam boat accident: Storm wreaks havoc in Ha Long Bay; 35 die as boat capsizes
Vietnam boat accident: Storm wreaks havoc in Ha Long Bay; 35 die as boat capsizes

Mint

time4 days ago

  • Mint

Vietnam boat accident: Storm wreaks havoc in Ha Long Bay; 35 die as boat capsizes

Vietnam boat accident: Storm wreaks havoc in Ha Long Bay; 35 die as boat capsizes | Photos 14 Photos . Updated: 20 Jul 2025, 02:15 PM IST Share Via Rescuers are searching for four missing after at least 35 died when a tourist boat capsized in Vietnam's Ha Long Bay during a sudden storm. The 'Wonder Sea' was carrying 46 passengers and three crew when heavy rain caused the deadly accident, according to a police report. 1/14A tourist boat (in white) that capsized in an accident which killed dozens and left several people still missing, is towed back to the port in Halong Bay, Quang Ninh province (REUTERS) 2/14Relief personnel gathered around a capsized tourist boat (L) during a search and rescue operation in the Ha Long Bay, Quang Ninh province. (AFP) 3/14The tourist boat (front L) that capsized is towed back to the port in Ha Long bay, Quang Ninh province (AFP) 4/14People on a capsized tourist boat being rescued in Ha Long Bay, Vietnam (AP) 5/14The tourist boat that capsized is towed back to the port in Ha Long bay, Quang Ninh province (AFP) 6/14A tourist boat (in white) that capsized in an accident which killed dozens and left several people still missing, is towed back to the port in Halong Bay (REUTERS) 7/14This image from a video provided by QDND shows people on a rescue boat after their tourist boat capsized in Ha Long Bay, Vietnam on Saturday, July 19, 2025. (QDND via AP) (AP) 8/14Rescue workers searching for people after a tourist boat capsized in Ha Long Bay, Vietnam (AP) 9/14Rescuers walk on the wharf after searching for victims of a capsized tourist boat in Ha Long Bay (AFP) 10/14Medical staff wait at the pier in Ha Long Bay, Quang Ninh Province (AFP) 11/14Body being carried on stretcher after a tourist boat capsized in Ha Long Bay (AP) 12/14Hospital staff carry the body of Tran Trung Tuan, one of the victims of a tourist boat accident (REUTERS) 13/14Relatives move the body of a victim after a tourist boat capsized in Ha Long Bay, at a funeral home in Ha Long (AFP)

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store