RedHanded ShortHand: Lake Nyos - Fog of Death
Feb 20, 2026
A chilling account of a sudden mass-asphyxiation at a crater lake in 1986. Listeners hear eyewitness discoveries, local folklore, and survivor details. The science of dissolved CO2, limnic eruptions, and controlled degassing is unpacked. The conversation ends on ongoing risks, displacement fallout, and a comparison to a far larger, more dangerous lake.
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Boy Finds Village Silenced Overnight
- Luke found his whole village silent and littered with dead people and animals when he went to look for his brother Nazarius.
- He discovered Nazarius and many neighbours unresponsive, illustrating the sudden, catastrophic nature of the event.
CO2 Can Build Up In Deep Lakes
- Harlagard Sigurdsson realised CO2 could dissolve in deep lake water and later pop out like a shaken bottle when pressure dropped.
- That observation explained the Munoon deaths and foreshadowed the much larger Lake Nyos disaster.
Depth And Cold Trap Carbon Dioxide
- Deep, cold, high-pressure lake bottoms dissolve far more CO2 than surface waters, creating long-term hidden reservoirs.
- Lake Nyos's 208m depth allowed water to hold massively more CO2, setting up a limnic eruption risk.