Soviet drilling rig accident in 1971

In 1971, Turkmenistan was a part of the Soviet Union. Not far from the village of Derweze (in Russian, it is Darvaza), a Soviet drilling rig hit an underground cavern, which subsequently collapsed and formed a deep pit, almost a hundred meters across. It was spewing toxic gases. [pdf]

FAQS about Soviet drilling rig accident in 1971

How did Soviet crater avert a natural disaster?

Geologists devised an audacious plan to avert a natural disaster and stop the fumes from poisoning the residents of neighboring villages. Soviet scientists set the crater on fire shortly after it erupted in the hopes that the flames would burn off the methane gas in a few weeks.

What happened to a gas hazard pit?

It was spewing toxic gases. In order to contain the hazard, the gases were set alight, with the expectation that the gas would burn off in a few days. A few decades later, though, the pit is still on fire.

Did the Soviets burn a fire in the Karakum Desert?

There are no written Soviet records, no logs, no official drilling reports, and no confirmation that they'd lit it intentionally – but there's no disputing a ~100-foot-deep (~30-m), 226-foot-wide (69-m) pit of relentless fiery fury that's been burning for around 50 years in the Karakum Desert of Turkmenistan.

Did explorer George Kourounis ever descend to the bottom of the pit?

Explorer George Kourounis, the first man to descend to the bottom of the pit in November 2013, tells Sarah Durn of Atlas Obscura that even seemingly logical fixes might prove futile.