How an ordinary lake became the reason for the death of 1745 people

In Cameroon, there is a lake up to 209 meters deep and with an area of ​​about 1.6 square meters. km. According to historical data, it was formed on the site of a volcano crater that collapsed about four hundred years ago. The lake is called Nyos, and it was its volcanic origin that led to the terrible events that claimed hundreds of lives of people and animals.

In August of 1986, the so-called limnological catastrophe occurred, as a result of which 1745 local residents died in just one night, and this is the majority of local residents who lived in villages near the lake. Birds died in huge numbers too, as well as domestic animals. Nearly a thousand more residents sought urgent medical care.

This happened because deep under Lake Nyos there is a hotbed of volcanic activity that produces a large amount of carbon dioxide. It in turn, seeps to the surface through pores in the soil. Thus, the deep layers of the lake are saturated with gas, but it does not pass into the upper layers, unless Nyos is disturbed.

On that fateful night, something affected the displacement of the water layers. It could be a strong wind or a small earthquake. Poisonous layers of the lake came out rose to the surface. Nyos came to life, seethed and overflowed its banks, swallowing the lowlands from the south coast. The gas, coupled with moisture, turned into a poisonous fog that kills all living beings.

After the tragedy, the local authorities did everything possible to avoid a repetition of the terrible events in the future. It is noteworthy that, in addition to the dangerous lake, the country also has a Manun reservoir with a similar volcanic origin. Long years before the nightmare of Nyos, there was also a catastrophe that took the lives of thirty-seven people.

A group of researchers dealing with the problem of lake degassing arrived in Cameroon in 1999. However, the operation itself did not have enough budget due to the fact that the killer lake was located in a very remote area of the country. Thus, only since the 2000s, degassing activities have been carried out in the Nyos and Manun area in order to prevent future disasters. We hope you liked this. Share this with your friends and family and that way you can also support us!