If you’re a good swimmer, you must have been to a beautiful lake to unwind. Even if you’re not one, you must have had the experience of just viewing a lake. Today, there are lakes you dare not move closer to because they are dangerous, poisonous, and acidic. They are referred to as the “deadliest lakes in the world.”
How deadly and where could that be, you ask? I’ve compiled and explained a list of the deadliest lakes in the world.
1. Lake Nyos
Lake Nyos is located in Cameroon. It has gas that can kill people and animals. This lake contains carbonic acid, which is very harmful. Nyos caused a disruption in 1986 when it emitted carbon dioxide — it suffocated 1,746 people and about 3,500 livestock in the nearby villages and towns.
2. The boiling lake
The boiling lake is in Dominica. It can be found about 10.5 km east of the country’s capital, Roseau. As the name implies, it is a lake that boils to the level of 92°C. Every human being is prohibited from swimming in it because it can boil you alive. The lake is filled with greyish-blue water that usually forms vapour.
3. Lake Monoun
Lake Monoun is in Cameroon. It is quite dangerous, with significant gas beneath the water’s surface. In 1984, an eruption occurred; the lake released a large amount of carbon dioxide that killed about 37 people. Monoun can suffocate humans and wildlife.
4. Lake Natron
Lake Natron is located in the Arusha region of Tanzania at the border of Kenya. It is a red-water lake with a high pH and alkalinity. It can turn humans and animals into stone. However, it is a breeding area for flamingos, as they usually dwell on the salty water.
5. Lake Kivu
Lake Kivu can be found in the Republic of Congo. It is between the border of the country with Rwanda. The lake can explode and even cause earthquakes that can kill millions of people.
6. Frying pan lake
Frying Pan Lake, also known as Devil’s Blowhole, is in the Volcanic Rift Valley in New Zealand. It is always hot, sometimes too much. Carbon dioxide and hydrogen sulphide emitted from the lake make it more dangerous.
7. Laguna Caliente
Laguna Caliente is a naturally acidic lake in Costa Rica. The water changes into different colours like green to grey and yellow. Volcanic activity heats the groundwater to release an explosion of rock and steam.
8. Lake Karachay
Lake Karachay is in Russia. It is a polluted, deep blue, deadly and toxic lake. It was used as a nuclear waste dump between 1934 and 1957 by the Soviet Union. Karachay is highly covered by radioactive waste, which can kill a human being within 30 minutes.
