Hundreds gassed in Cameroon lake disaster

August 21, 1986

At least 1,200 people are feared dead in Cameroon,
West Africa, after a cloud of lethal gas escaped
from a volcanic lake.

The tragedy happened at Lake Nyos, about 200 miles (322 km)
northwest of the capital, Yaoundé, during the night.

Most of the victims died in their sleep.

The gas killed all living things within a 15-mile (25km)
radius of the lake, and the area is still highly contaminated.

©BBC News


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