‘Gates of Hell’ to be EXTINGUISHED after spewing ‘devil breath’ fire for decades as Turkmenistan closes crater

TURKMENISTAN’S dictator has ordered his experts to finally extinguish a huge gas pit dubbed as the “Gates of Hell” that’s been spewing “devil breath” fire for decades.  President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov appeared on state television today demanding officials to put out the flames at the Darvaza gas crater in the middle of the vast Karakum desert. APThe enormous Darvaza gas crater in the middle of the vast Karakum desert[/caption] AlamyThe fiery pit has been spewing ‘devil breath’ fire for decades[/caption] AFPEnough is enough… President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov wants it put out[/caption] In 2010, Berdymukhamedov also ordered experts to find a way to put out the flames that have been burning ever since a Soviet drilling operation went awry in 1971. But this failed and Berdymukhamedov has now demanded the fiery crater be quelled because it “negatively affects both the environment and the health of the people living nearby”. He said: “We are losing valuable natural resources for which we could get significant profits and use them for improving the well-being of our people,” he said in televised remarks. Mystery surrounds a massive molten gas pit dubbed as the “Gates of Hell” that has been spewing “devil breath” fire for decades. The fiery Darvaza gas crater is located in the Karakum Desert in Turkmenistan, and its origin remains a secret. The surreal site, also known as “Door to Hell”, is a natural gas that field collapsed into a cavern in the village of Darvanza. Most read in The Sun ENDER AN ERA Danny Dyer quits EastEnders after joining rival drama for 'six-figure sum' LAURA MARRIAGE SPLIT A Place In The Sun's Laura Hamilton reveals shock split from husband HIS FAULT Djokovic seen smiling at event with kids day AFTER testing positive with Covid COLD CALL I text my dead sister’s number and I couldn’t believe the response I got 'AT PEACE' Sinead O’Connor’s teen son Shane dies as she pays tribute to ‘light of my life’ 'UNCERTAIN' Denise Van Outen's ex fiancé responds after it’s revealed she’s ditched him Although there are no records of how the burning pit was originally discovered, the most popular theory suggests it was created in 1971, when Turkmenistan was still under Soviet rule. According to the theory, geologists hit a pocket of natural gas while were drilling for oil which caused the earth to collapse. It is believed that in order to prevent the spread of methane, they set it on fire and it has been burning ever since.  The crater was featured in an episode of the National Geographic Channel series Die Trying in 2013. Canadian explorer George Kourounis was the first to descend into the 100-ft deep pit of fire, was unable to explain the origin of the pit. BURNING FOR DECADES At the time, he said it looks like “a volcano in the middle of the desert,” and admitted he felt “a bit like a baked potato,” according to National Geographic.   “It is burning with a tremendous amount of flame like there is a lot of fire down there,” he said. “Day or night, it is clearly burning. You can hear the roar of the fire if you stand at the edge. “The heat, if you are downwind of it, is unbearable. There are thousands of little flames all around the edges and towards the center. “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.” TOURIST ATTRACTION Local Turkmen geologists believe the crater was formed in the 1960s and wasn’t lit until the 1980s. And as at the time Turkmenistan was under Soviet rule, any record of the crater’s creation is now classified information. In 2013, the President of Turkmenistan, Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow, declared the part of the dessert with the pit, a natural reserve. The mystery surrounding the fire pit has turned it into a popular tourist attraction, with thousands visiting the area every year to see the hellish pit closely. It comes as another strange location was recently explored for the first time. A brave team of cave divers have made the first journey down into the 200ft deep “Well of Hell” in Yemen. The 100ft wide hole is located in the desert in the eastern province of Al-Mahra and locals believe it is a prison for demons. But despite the tales of evil spirits, t the divers from the Oman Cave Exploration Team have only discovered snakes, dead animals and cave pearls. GettyThe 100-ft deep pit has become a popular tourist attraction[/caption] A team of cave divers explored the well in Yemen for the first time