Turkmenistan said Thursday it had significantly reduced a gas fire that has been raging for half a century at a site dubbed the "Gateway to Hell" .

The fire has been burning in the Karakum desert since 1971 , when Soviet scientists accidentally drilled into an underground pocket of gas and then decided to ignite it.

The blaze has been spewing out massive quantities of methane, a gas that contributes to climate change , ever since.

Officials said the fire – which has become the reclusive country's top tourist attraction – had been reduced threefold, without specifying the time frame .

"Whereas before a huge glow from the blaze was visible from several kilometers away, hence the name 'Gateway to Hell', today only a faint source of combustion remains," said Irina Luryeva, a dir

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