Caspian Sea, Azerbaijan

The Ministry of Emergency Situations of Azerbaijan initiated an inquiry after videos of the strong explosion shooked the Caspian Sea area where Azerbaijan keeps the extensive offshore oil and gas fields. The ‘mud volcano’ fires went viral on social media and blogs. Authorities reported that none of the oil and gas platforms or other industrial, transportation or infrastructure sites were damaged in the explosion according to the preliminary assessment.

Additionally, the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Azerbaijan has deployed a helicopter to perform investigation flights in the Caspian Sea since 5th July. Crew members involved in the deployment experienced a mud volcano eruption during the flight, which according to initial information occurred on Dashli Island located on the Baku Archipelago approximately 30 kilometres (18.6 miles) off the coast and in the direction of the Salyan District.