unilad homepage
unilad homepage
    • News
      • UK News
      • US News
      • World News
      • Crime
      • Health
      • Money
      • Sport
      • Travel
    • Music
    • Technology
    • Film and TV
      • News
      • DC Comics
      • Disney
      • Marvel
      • Netflix
    • Celebrity
    • Politics
    • Advertise
    • Terms
    • Privacy & Cookies
    • LADbible Group
    • LADbible
    • SPORTbible
    • GAMINGbible
    • Tyla
    • UNILAD Tech
    • FOODbible
    • License Our Content
    • About Us & Contact
    • Jobs
    • Latest
    • Archive
    • Topics A-Z
    • Authors
    Facebook
    Instagram
    X
    Threads
    TikTok
    YouTube
    Submit Your Content
    First person to enter burning ‘door to hell’ reveals what he found at the bottom
    Home>News>World News
    Updated 12:24 13 Dec 2023 GMTPublished 12:22 13 Dec 2023 GMT

    First person to enter burning ‘door to hell’ reveals what he found at the bottom

    Adventurer George Kourounis has revealed what he saw at the bottom of the 'door to hell'.

    Callum Jones

    Callum Jones

    google discoverFollow us on Google Discover
    Featured Image Credit: YouTube/National Geographic UK

    Topics: Science, News, World News

    Callum Jones
    Callum Jones

    Advert

    Advert

    Advert

    The first ever person to enter the burning 'door to hell' has revealed exactly what he found at the bottom.

    George Kourounis, a explorer and adventurer, certainly loves to live life on the more dangerous side.

    And he's done some pretty crazy things - such as tornado chasing through extreme environments in midwestern America to taking a risky dip with some piranhas in Venezuela.

    Advert

    And perhaps the most obvious evidence that Kourounis loves the thrill is the fact he tied the knot on a crater of an erupting volcano in the South Pacific.

    Yep, that's some way to begin married life, eh?

    But a 2013 trek to remote Turkmenistan may be one of his most daring expeditions yet as Kourounis was the first person to descend into the 30-meter deep pit of fire known as the 'Door to Hell'.

    I mean, who else can say they've been to Hell and back?

    George Kourounis became the first person to enter the burning 'Door to Hell'.
    YouTube/National Geographic UK

    The drop is a crater in a large natural gas field that has been burning for decades in Central Asia.

    It is believed to have all started after a Soviet oil rig fell into the crater in 1971 - with a decision being made to just set the pit on fire in an attempt to get rid of the rig.

    But that did not exactly go to plan, as the resulting gas-fed flames continue to burn to this very day 50 years on.

    The adventurer had wanted to visit the site for years and, after two years of just trying to get in Turkmenistan, he was finally able to do so.

    Equipped with his heat-resistant suit, he made his descent, and when speaking about what he found at the bottom, Kourounis said: "It is burning with a tremendous amount of flame like there is a lot of fire down there."

    The adventurer spoke about what he saw at the bottom.
    YouTube/National Geographic UK

    He continued: "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."

    The adventurer spent a few days preparing before his descent into the 'door to hell' - but that didn't make it any less nerve-wracking.

    "I can tell you when you are standing on the edge of this gigantic crater filled with fire—it is intimidating," he said.

    "It wasn’t dark at all. As a matter of fact, you are surrounded by flames, so everything has this orange hue."

    He also said he felt 'a bit like a baked potato' in his suit that looked like 'aluminium foil' - which is a pretty apt description I'd say.

    Choose your content:

    an hour ago
    4 hours ago
    • Smart Family
      an hour ago

      New search warrant issued decades on from Kristin Smart murder at killer's mom's house

      The 19-year-old failed to return home from an off-campus party in 1996

      News
    • Photo by Bruce Glikas/FilmMagic
      an hour ago

      Melissa Barrera slams Scream 7 cast after being fired from franchise over social media posts

      'Silence is not an option for me' the former Scream star said

      Film & TV
    • Shafkat Anowar/The Dallas Morning News via Getty Images
      an hour ago

      Athena Strand's mom revealed last words she told 7-year-old before her murder

      Tanner Horner was given his sentence after being found guilty of Athena Strand's murder

      News
    • (Photo by Angelina Katsanis - Pool/Getty Images)
      4 hours ago

      Barack Obama clarifies his comments after claiming aliens are 'real'

      Despite having to clarify his earlier comments, the former President still has hope that there's life beyond Earth

      News
    • Man who continued to eat during White House dinner shooting reveals what he was thinking
    • Benjamin Netanyahu reveals cancer diagnosis he kept secret for years
    • Trump reveals what pilots witnessed as he says US will release UFO files
    • Researcher claims he's found the Garden of Eden and reveals where the mysterious location is