The 800C fire hole, which has all the appearances of a gateway to Hades, was discovered by villagers in Urumqi, the capital of Xinjianag in north-western China last week.

Although superstitious residents are steering clear baffled geologists and mining experts have flocked to catch a glimpse of the strange hole.

Even two metres away the heat blasting from the 80cm wide hole has been measured at 792C (1457F). The intense heat is making it difficult for experts to get close enough to determine the hole’s depth.

Superstitious Chinese villagers have branded it a "gateway to hell".