YANGON — Villagers of Hnauk San, in Aung Lan township of the Magway region, accidentally discovered a natural gas reserve when digging an artesian well over the weekend, the Ministry for Energy said in a statement issued Monday.
The villagers were digging the well on December 13 for the local public health care center and had reached a depth of 380 feet (115.8 meters) when the gas reserve was asccidenttally tapped, sending up a spout nine metres high, the ministry said.
Hnauk San is 56 kilometers north of the Pyay-Aung Lan highway. Energy Ministry personnel were dispatched to the village immediately, as local people had expressed worries that the gas would catch fire.
In Myanmar, people sometimes discover oil or gas accidenttally when digging wells. At other times they discover it not so accidently as they are deliberating hunting for the valuable reserves without government permission.
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