WATCH: Fireball erupts in Caspian Sea

A mud volcano has erupted near an oil platform off the coast of Azerbaijan, sending a column of fire into the sky, which was visible across the region, officials and witnesses say.

According to a report by The Guardian, the state oil company Socar said preliminary information indicated it was a mud volcano. The Azerbaijan Emergencies Ministry has also confirmed the cause was a mud volcano.

Socar told the APA none of its oil platforms were affected by the incident and no injuries have been reported.

Socar spokesman Ibrahim Ahmadov was quoted by the Azerbaijani news agency APA as saying the blast took place about 10km (six miles) from the Umid gas field, which is 45 miles (75km) off the coast of the capital, Baku.

Seismologists have reported that the region is home to hundreds of mud volcanoes, which erupt with mud and slurry rather than lava.

APA reported that exploration flights in the Caspian Sea began on 5 July with the involvement of a helicopter of the Ministry’s Aviation Detachment. During the flight, according to preliminary observations, a mud volcano erupted on Dashli Island. Video from the flight shows a relatively small flame is observed in the crater of the volcano.

Image courtesy of Gavriil Grigorov/TASS