October
15
/ 2020
On August 21, 1986, in northwestern Cameroon, a massive froth shot up into the sky from the waters of Lake Nyos, followed by a thick ghostly fog which covered the surrounding landscape. In an instant, 1746 residents of the nearby villages of Nyos and Cha were killed. Hundreds toppled to the ground over fires, uneaten dinners, and dirt roads. Those who collapsed unconscious suffocated in their immobile state. Those who awoke and emerged from this asphyxiating catastrophic event found their family members dead, sprawled across household floors, beds, and porches. Those whose lives were spared, buried their dead and then made their way to refugee camps being set up by the Cameroon Government who had received word within a few
