The leader of the nation wants to close the "Gates of Hell" that have burned in the desert for five decades.
President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov urged officials to find a solution to extinguish the fire in a January 8 appearance on the state TV channel.
"We are losing valuable natural resources for which we could get significant profits and use them for improving the well-being of our people," Berdymukhamedov said.
What is the name of the Gates of Hell? The gates are a large hole in the desert that is at least 70 meters wide and 20 meters deep.
The hole was excavated in 1971 during a Soviet drilling operation. Turkmenistan is an ex-Soviet nation.
Disaster struck when the ground beneath the drill rig collapsed. The geologists decided to set the crater on fire because of the noxious methane gas that was leaking into the air.
The Gates of Hell have become one of the top tourist destinations in the country. The burning crater gained internet fame when President Berdymukhamedov released a video of himself performing doughnuts in a rally car.
It's not clear why Berdymukhamedov soured on this photo-op in the desert. According to Vice.com, the fourth-largest known reserve of natural gas is located in the country of Turkmenistan, and the economy is dependent on gas exports.
President Berdymukhamedov ordered experts to try to stop the Gates of Hell in 2010. Better luck this time.
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The article was published by Live Science. The original article can be found here.
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