A massive fireball burst from the Caspian Sea near an oil field, likely caused by a 'mud volcano'
- Images of a massive explosion in the Caspian Sea likely show a 'mud volcano,' authorities said.
- Videos were widely shared on social media showing a huge fire plume.
- The nearby oil and gas rigs were undisturbed in the blast, Azerbaijani authorities said.
A massive explosion in the Caspian Sea lit up the sky Sunday, producing a fireball that authorities say likely came from a "mud volcano."
The explosion took place off the coast of Azerbaijan, not far from the country's extensive offshore oil and gas fields, according to Azerbaijani news agency APA.
There have been no injuries, and no damage to the oil and gas works, APA reported.
A series of videos purporting to be from the area were widely shared on social media:
The explosion was around 6 miles from the oil and gas rigs, the Associated Press reported, citing Azerbaijan's state oil company, SOCAR. Another video appears to show the view from one of the oil rigs:
The AP reported that SOCAR said that it hadn't determined the cause yet, but that early indications say it was caused by one of the many mud volcanoes that dot the area.
Dashli island, where the explosion took place, "is considered one of the active volcanoes of Azerbaijan," Orxan Abbasov, a geophysicist at the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences, told APA.
The flames reached more than 1,600 feet - an extraordinary height that likely resulted from the volcano not having erupted for a long time, he told the agency.
The state's Ministry of Emergency Situations shared a video, taken from a helicopter early Monday, of the aftermath of the blast:
According to the BBC, Azerbaijan has hundreds of mud volcanoes. They are similar to regular volcanoes but generally less dangerous.
It is the second fiery incident connected to offshore oil and gas works recently. A ruptured oil pipeline off the Gulf of Mexico ignited early Friday local time, causing a huge flaming pool on the surface of the water.
The igniting of the Ku Maloob Zaap oil field, run by Mexican state-run company Petroleos Mexicanos, has provoked a debate among US Democratic lawmakers on the climate crisis.