Grisly Truth Behind The Lake That Claimed More Than 1,000 Lives Overnight

Nobody could've expected that a small, unassuming Cameroonian village would fall victim to one of the rarest natural disasters in history. In 1986, the town’s residents were going about their day when most of them suddenly died where they stood. Overnight, nearly an entire town was gone. Scientists flocked to the west-central African nation to try to find the cause. Somehow, they realized, the answer had to do with a nearby lake.

Subtle Start

Ephriam Che was a farmer and a father of four who lived on the cliffs above Lake Nyos. At 9 p.m. on August 21, 1986, Ephriam was at home when he heard a rumbling noise outside. It sounded like there was a rockslide. There was also a white mist rising from the lake.

Examining Lake Nyos

Ephriam thought it was going to rain and went to bed for the night. The next morning, he walked to Lake Nyos, which was now a muddy-red color instead of its normal clear blue, and besides that, the powerful waterfall was now dry. That’s when he noticed how quiet the entire area was.

Horrific Discovery

Normally, the songbirds and insects filled the air with their whirring voices. All Ephiriam could hear was the slight lapping of the water against the shore. He ran to Lower Nyos, a settlement close to the river, and stumbled into a horrific scene.

Tragic Losses

Everyone was dead, all 1,000 of the residents. And that included Ephiriam’s parents, siblings, uncles and aunts. “On that day there were no flies on the dead," the farmer said. That’s because all of the flies were dead, too. Besides Lower Nyos, another 800 people around the lake perished, bringing the final count to 1,800.