A strong explosion occurred in the Caspian Sea on Sunday near the coast of Azerbaijan's capital Baku, with the state oil company saying it was caused by a volcanic eruption.
SOCAR said in a statement on Monday that a team has been carrying out an investigation, and the "blast was caused by a mud volcano, erupted naturally in Dashli Island, situated between Alat settlement and Neftchala city, about 30 km away from the shore."
The fire is about to extinguish, it said, adding that similar natural events have occurred in the same region before as well – mud volcanoes cause methane and other combustible gases to erupt in oil and gas fields.
No casualties have been so far.
Footage of the explosion, which could be seen with the naked eye from Baku, was shared on social media.
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