Mysterious Cloud Killing People and Animals in Africa

African country of Cameroon, at lake Nyos The explosion took the lives of thousands of people and animals. In the early days of the incident, although people could not come to a consensus about the cause of this explosion, the reason was learned much later.

Explosion, 100,000–300,000 tons (1.6 million tons according to some sources) of carbon dioxide (CO2) suddenly released. For this reason, a large gas cloud that emerged officially created a disaster in the region of the lake. Then let’s look at the story of this event together.

The gas cloud, which initially rose 100 kilometers, then descended as it became heavier than air.

Some archaeologists thought that this gas cloud may have formed due to a landslide. Some also suspected the earthquake, but the villagers said they did not feel any shaking the morning of the event. So that possibility has been shelved. After all, experts finally agreed that it was caused by a volcanic eruption. Because the people who came to investigate in the region revealed that the gas in the water sample taken from the lake contained carbon dioxide containing methane and helium, which caused the explosion. volcanic It was an important proof of his origin.

The lake turned red

The gas formed because the waters, which are rich in iron minerals from the depths of the lake, come to the surface and combine with oxygen (oxidation), form the lake as you can see in the picture above. to a red color turned it. Interestingly, after the gas problem emerged, the water level of the lake dropped by about 1 meter and all the trees near the lake started to fall suddenly. There are even claims that about 1.2 meters of gas was released. However, surprisingly, the gas did not damage any houses in the village.

Representative Image (emphasis added that jumping into Lake Nyos can be harmful)

Scientists said that a 100-meter layer of water and foam formed on the surface of the lake, creating a large gas cloud of at least 25 meters that reached the shore. Which is enough of a natural event to damage the settlements next to the lake. In addition, the carbon dioxide formed due to this layer formed in the water was 1.5 times the density of the air in the atmosphere. in the region Nyos, Kam, Subum and Cha People living in villages such as Turkey stated that they feel as if they are suffocating even in their sleep because of this cloud. In fact, the gas cloud was so interesting that it had a mass of 50 meters and could move at a speed of 20-50 kilometers per hour. This brutal cloud, which is officially the cause of nightmares, killed 1,746 people and 3,500 animals, according to the figures released.

About 4,000 people left their village and fled after this incident.

Animals that died in the village due to the cloud

Imagine, even those who fled the area, the gas cloud created various illnesses, such as respiratory problems and paralysis started to appear. Some survivors said they could smell the smell of rotten eggs in the village, which for authorities indicated that other volcanic gases mixed with carbon dioxide were involved. However, since the only gas found in the lake water in the first place was carbon dioxide, the main cause of the incident was attributed to this. But this was of course an erroneous assumption, as we mentioned at the beginning, the volcanoes that continued to boil underground were the main source of the problem.

Michele Tuttle, who works at the US Geological Survey, said that the village of Nyos has a population of 1,200 people and there are only 4 people who survived this event. In other words, the death rate of 1,700 is a figure obtained based on the total number of people who lost their lives in other villages. As you can see, it’s really creepy that the number of survivors has not exceeded the fingers of one hand. Moreover, experts say that although close to 3,000 people may have died, the real figure is not possible because the bodies were buried in order not to spread disease in the region. that you are hiding expressed.

People still alive after the explosion were treated at the hospital in the country’s capital, Yaoundé. Originally, these people were thought to have been poisoned by sulfur and hydrogen, but later interviews and research with survivors revealed that of poisoning revealed that the chief culprit was carbon dioxide. The living said that those who died quickly lost consciousness and passed away. In fact, while the scientists were examining the village, gas was released again, but because they were on a slope above the lake, nothing happened to them.

Since the source of the problem was volcanic lava underground, it was only a matter of time before an eruption would occur again. For this reason, a degassing device was installed in the lake.

System that prevents the escape of gas

Various studies have been carried out in this direction since 1995 and in 2001 the lake was an anti-gas tube could be placed. Then in 2011, another pipe was laid there, and in 2019 a completely solid gas purification system could be built. The purpose of these installed degasser pipes was to keep carbon dioxide at a safe level, which it succeeded. Thus, the lives of people in the region are now safe from gas and carbon dioxide emissions.

After this event, scientists started to investigate different places, as they were worried that the same event could be repeated in the region. Fortunately, there is no dangerous situation in the area for now. But experts say it’s not just Africa, like Naples He states that it is necessary to be careful against volcanic eruptions that may occur in different parts of the world. So what do you think about this event? How does it make you feel when such frightening events occur due to natural causes? You can share the answers to these questions with us in the comments.