VIDEO: President of Turkmenistan engaging in crazy drift action at the Gates of Hell crater

With the Turkmenistan President, Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov, disappearing from public view in early July, media exploded with speculations about his presumed death from acute kidney failure. The admittedly rather bold and eccentric ruler chose a showy way to put those rumors to rest.

A video report about Mr. Berdymukhamedov’s latest activities aired on the national television a couple days ago, depicting the President – who was apparently in full health, physical or otherwise – doing fitness, listening to his grandson’s latest music, introducing his latest book and, perhaps most interestingly, speed-racing and drifting on the very brink of the Gates of Hell.

The Gates of Hell is a natural gas crater in Turkmenistan that is more than 60 meters (200 feet) across and 20 m (65 ft.) deep. It appeared in early 1970s as a result of oil extraction and has been blazing ever since. The President of the Asian country is depicted drifting dangerously close to the crater edge on a not-quite-identifiable rally car.