Story
Cameroon
'An invisible avalanche': what happened in Cameroon's 1986 Lake Nyos disaster?
CameroonWhat to know
- On 21 August, 1986, 1,746 people died from carbon dioxide poisoning after gas escaped overnight from the bottom of Lake Nyos in Cameroon. RFI examines what happened in the world's deadliest "limnic eruption" and how, 40 years later, our understanding of the da...S1
- On August 21, 1986, a silent cloud of carbon dioxide swept through villages around Lake Nyos in Cameroon, killing nearly 2,000 people in their sleep. Four decades later, survivors are still living with the trauma.S2
Timeline · newest first
2mos
RFI
'An invisible avalanche': what happened in Cameroon's 1986 Lake Nyos disaster?
On 21 August, 1986, 1,746 people died from carbon dioxide poisoning after gas escaped overnight from the bottom of Lake Nyos in Cameroon. RFI examines what happened in the world's…
2mos
Deutsche Welle
40 years after the Lake Nyos disaster in Cameroon
On August 21, 1986, a silent cloud of carbon dioxide swept through villages around Lake Nyos in Cameroon, killing nearly 2,000 people in their sleep. Four decades later, survivors…
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Published Aug 21, 2026
What to know
- On 21 August, 1986, 1,746 people died from carbon dioxide poisoning after gas escaped overnight from the bottom of Lake Nyos in Cameroon. RFI examines what happened in the world's deadliest "limnic eruption" and how, 40 years later, our understanding of the da...S1
- On August 21, 1986, a silent cloud of carbon dioxide swept through villages around Lake Nyos in Cameroon, killing nearly 2,000 people in their sleep. Four decades later, survivors are still living with the trauma.S2
Timeline · newest first
Sources · 2 citations
S2
Deutsche WelleLead
1 report · EN
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