Lake Nyos as it appeared just over a week after the eruption, Aug 29, 1986. Photo: United States Geological Survey - United States Geological Survey, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2320641
WITH today’s technological advancements, there are now applications that can alert us when natural disasters are about to strike.
Some of these online apps, which send real-time notifications, can also guide people in what to do, helping them prepare better should disaster strike.
However, in the past, certain types of natural disaster struck without warning, leading to the deaths of thousands.
One such incident is said to have occured in Cameroon, where nearly 2,000 people were killed alongside thousands of animals.
Did such an incident actually happen?
VERDICT:
TRUE
On Aug 21, 1986, on what seemed like an ordinary night, Lake Nyos suddenly released a “huge cloud” of carbon dioxide that had been trapped under the water.
The invisible, deadly gas spread through nearby villages, suffocating about 1,700 people in their sleep and killing thousands of animals.
The lake is located inside the crater of an inactive volcano in the Oku Volcanic Field.
Scientists also refer to this unfortunate event as a “limnic eruption” or a "lake overturn, where dissolved gases, primarily carbon dioxide, suddenly erupt from deep lake water.
This can happen when the lake's water levels mix and can be triggere by volcanic activity, earthquakes, landslide or even cool rainwater. It can also occur spontaneously when the gas concentration becomes unstable.
To prevent a similar tragedy from happening again, scientists have installed special pipes to safely release the trapped gas from the lake.
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