On the night of August 23rd 1986, residence around Lake Nyos in Northwest Cameroon reported hearing a rumbling. Out of eyesight, a bubbling 330 ft geyser out of the lake spewed a strong white mist that began to cover the surrounding lowland areas. The mist soon spanned to a radius of 16 miles affecting villages and farmland. Individuals caught in the mist lost consciousness and some died outright. Over the following days, a total 1,746 people and 3,500 livestock were found dead. Survivors of the aftermath were treated at local hospitals for asphyxiation and the bubble-like lesions on their skin. Around lake Nyos, little evidence of the incident could be found, except for a small landslide on one bank and the once clear blue water which had turned a clay red.

So what happened to the communities around lake Nyos? Unfortunately few survivors were left to tell the tale, leaving a team scientists to piece together what happened. In this article, we will cover the lake science of the indecent.