Turkmenistan's ‘Gateway to Hell' fire reduced after 50 years
The fire has been burning in the Darvaza gas crater in the Karakum Desert since 1971. Soviet scientists accidentally drilled into an underground pocket of gas and lit it.
Since then, the fire has been releasing a lot of methane. This gas contributes to climate change.
Methane gas burns when fuel, oxygen and heat come together. These three things make up the fire triangle (see graphic).
Officials said the fire – which has become the country's top tourist attraction – had been reduced threefold without specifying the time frame.
'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,' said Irina Luryeva, a director at the state-owned energy company Turkmengaz.
Many wells have been drilled around the fire to capture methane, she said at an environmental conference in Ashgabat, the capital.
Turkmenistan is one of the world's most closed countries. It is estimated to have the planet's fourth-largest gas reserves.
The country is the biggest emitter of methane through gas leaks, according to the International Energy Agency. However, the nation's authorities deny this claim.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
South China Morning Post
13-07-2025
- South China Morning Post
Turkmenistan's ‘Gateway to Hell' fire reduced after 50 years
Turkmenistan said last month it had significantly reduced a gas fire that has been raging for half a century at a site called the 'Gateway to Hell'. The fire has been burning in the Darvaza gas crater in the Karakum Desert since 1971. Soviet scientists accidentally drilled into an underground pocket of gas and lit it. Since then, the fire has been releasing a lot of methane. This gas contributes to climate change. Methane gas burns when fuel, oxygen and heat come together. These three things make up the fire triangle (see graphic). Officials said the fire – which has become the country's top tourist attraction – had been reduced threefold without specifying the time frame. '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,' said Irina Luryeva, a director at the state-owned energy company Turkmengaz. Many wells have been drilled around the fire to capture methane, she said at an environmental conference in Ashgabat, the capital. Turkmenistan is one of the world's most closed countries. It is estimated to have the planet's fourth-largest gas reserves. The country is the biggest emitter of methane through gas leaks, according to the International Energy Agency. However, the nation's authorities deny this claim.
South China Morning Post
24-06-2025
- South China Morning Post
Malaysian evacuees' 1,000km escape from conflict-torn Iran
As night gave way to day along Iran 's uncertain highways, a convoy of Malaysians pressed eastward from the capital, racing against the spectre of violence to reach the safety of the Turkmenistan border. The evacuation of 17 Malaysians from conflict-hit Iran unfolded as a day-long odyssey spanning more than 1,000km (620 miles) as tensions mounted. Among them was Khairi Omar, Malaysia's ambassador to Iran, who called the operation 'challenging but successful' amid the precarious security situation gripping the region. 'Thanks to the close cooperation of the Turkmenistan government, we were allowed entry and proceeded directly to Ashgabat Airport for a connecting flight,' Khairi said on Sunday following the group's return.
South China Morning Post
31-05-2025
- South China Morning Post
How Ghana is losing its coastline and parts of its slave trade history to climate change
The salty wind blows across the ruins of Ghana's Fort Prinzenstein, where thick walls once held thousands of enslaved Africans before their journey across the Atlantic. Now only a shell remains – a crumbling monument teetering at the edge of the sea. Advertisement For centuries, Ghana's coastline has borne the brunt of history. Today it is being consumed by nature and neglect as climate change, rising sea levels and unchecked human activity eat away at the 550-kilometre (340-mile) shore. Villages are vanishing, and with them, centuries-old heritage. The modern economy is also at risk. A few metres away from the fort, Ernestina Gavor cleans a glass behind a bar. 'I'm hoping it survives a few more years,' she says, noting that the restaurant relies on tourists to keep afloat. Fort Prinzenstein, once a Danish slave fort and now a Unesco World Heritage site, is among the most threatened sites on Ghana's coast. The coastline used to be about 7km away from Ghana's Fort Prinzenstein. Photo: AFP James Ocloo Akorli, its caretaker for 24 years, has watched the Gulf of Guinea claw away at the structure – and his memories.
