“Gates of Hell” Opened in Turkmenistan

In the early 70s, near the village of Darvaza in Turkmenistan, Soviet geologists discovered an accumulation of underground gas. As a result of the excavation and drilling of an exploratory well, geologists stumbled upon an underground cavern (emptiness), which caused the earth to collapse and formed a large hole filled with gas. When geologists discovered the cavern, the hole in the ground began to grow, grabbing equipment and transport. So that the gas did not come to the surface, they decided to set it on fire, expecting that the flames would soon go out. However, the hole turned into an eternal torch, which the locals called the “Gate of Hell”. The crater has been burning since 1971.

Source: exfun.ru