First Man To Visit Land Of Wild Fire Burnt For Forty-Years

Mr Kourounis is a world-renowned explorer, he become the first person to descend into the the wide blazing inferno some refers to as “Hell Palace” a flame pit in Turkmenistan that has burned for more than 40 years.
Spectacular images have been released of George Kourounis, 44, rappelling 31 meters down into the crater amid 1,000C temperatures and walking across its surface. The bizarre landmark officially called The Darvaza Crater has been alight for more than 40 years after a drilling accident caused Soviet scientists to set it on fire to burn off excess gas.

After Mr Kourounis heard the government was planning to close the crater, he decided he needed to enter it.

When Mr Kourounis, from Toronto, Canada, heard a rumour the Turkmenistan government was planning to extinguish the flames, he decided to challenge his efforts and visit the location. Newly-released images capture him dangling precariously above the crater wearing a heat-reflective suit, breathing apparatus and a custom-made Kevlar harness. He would stay in the crater for around 15 minutes before being pulled out by the rigging team.

After the dare-devil expedition Mr Kourounis shared his impressions: “Since this was something nobody had ever done before there was a lot of uncertainty and questions. How hot was it at the bottom? Is the air breathable? Will the ropes survive? What if something goes wrong? Nobody knew the answers – not even me. When I actually set foot at the bottom it was an overwhelming feeling. I was in a spot where no human had ever been. It was like stepping onto an alien planet – more people have been on the moon. It was exciting, adventurous, dangerous, a world first and a contribution to science. The expedition had everything I love.”

Explorer George Kourounis holds an Explorers’ Club flag in front of the flaming Darvaza Crater.