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The president of Turkmenistan is calling for an end to the flames at one of the country's most notable sites – the blazing natural gas crater widely referred to as the "Gates of Hell".
The desert crater located about 257km north of the capital, Ashgabat, has burned for decades and is a popular sight for the small number of tourists who come to Turkmenistan, a country which is difficult to enter.
The Turkmen news site Turkmenportal said a 1971 gas-drilling collapse formed the crater, which is about 60m in diameter and 20m deep.
To prevent the spread of gas, geologists set a fire, expecting the gas to burn off in a few weeks.
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The spectacular if unwelcome fire that has burned ever since is so renowned that state TV showed president Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov speeding around it in an off-road truck in 2019.
But Mr Berdymukhamedov has ordered his government to look for ways to put the fire out because it is causing ecological damage and affecting the health of people living in the area, state newspaper Neitralny Turkmenistan reported. – AP