ShortHand: Lake Nyos - Fog of Death

20 February 2026 · 36m

RedHanded

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“On that day, there were no flies on the dead. The flies were dead too.”

On the 21st of August 1986, 1746 people and 3500 livestock died in the Cameroonian village of Nyos, died suddenly, and all at once.

Ancient folklore had long cautioned the inhabitants of Nyos about evil spirits that lurked deep within their crater lake, but the grim reality far exceeded the unsettling myths.

What took place that evening, was one of two natural disasters ever recorded of its kind, and the next one could claim the lives of millions.

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