Cameroon: 'An Invisible Avalanche' - What Happened in Cameroon's 1986 Lake Nyos Disaster?

[RFI] 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 danger posed by volcanic lakes is still evolving.

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.