Skip to main content
The largest online newspaper archive
A Publisher Extra® Newspaper

The Bismarck Tribune from Bismarck, North Dakota • 22

Location:
Bismarck, North Dakota
Issue Date:
Page:
22
Extracted Article Text (OCR)

Peg2C Wednesday, August 27, 1986 The Bismarck Tribune cinnis te-Gsainnieir oini The Cameroon Disaster africa Ns-nJ(4 CAMEROON Cameroon, the size of Callornta with a population of 9.2 million, is located on the Gulf of Guinea in western Africa. 4 Gases are lj i released -7 LAKE Cv" ly N10S 4 IYj' I or manv years. rJ'tf gases collect in y' I the lake bed 7- 7 magma chamber CHAD 7 NIGERIA Q-j Lake Nios Wum JA- -jf An earthquake, landslide or a volcanic disturbance may have triggered the 'release of gases from Lake Nios. U.S." scientists contend that carbon dioxide is the most likely cause of death. The gas is commonly released by volcanoes.

It is not poisonous but causes suffocation. It is heavier than air and would collect in the low lying populated areas. AP Laser phot os Deadly Lake Nios still clouded with silt Tuesday after a giant bubble of gas rose from the bottom. Empty villages, rotting carcasses are all that's left in wake of volcanic cloud 1 fi 3 help in relief efforts said the fumes also killed more than 7,000 cattle. In the village of Nios, a half-mile down the slope from the lake, officials said 1,000 people were killed.

To their knowledge, only one woman and her child survived. In Souboum, on the floor of the valley and about five miles from the lake, roughly 300 people died, while those living on higher ground survived, said Taka, chief of staff 4TA SOUBOUM, Cameroon (AP) -Many of the more than 1,500 people killed when a deadly bubble of gas burst from Lake Nios now lie in shallow graves, but thousands of unburied, rotting animal carcasses fueled fears of a possible epidemic. Lt. Gen. James Tataw, who is heading clean-up efforts in the isolated northwest area of this tropical African nation, said Tuesday he was worried rains could spread disease because there had been no time to bury the dead livestock.

He said bulldozers were en route to dispose of the carcasses, but added, "The cows have no relatives. Their burial will be the last. Priorities are for people." Soldiers, working in stifling heat, shoveled the human casualties into I Cm U- I 0 iii niim.il ii 4 develop pneumonia. A Cameroon army transport-plane ferried 16 tons of combat rations from the capital Yaounde to Bamenda Tuesday to distribute among refugees who were evacuated. A chain of schoolchildren unloaded the plane, and transferred the rations onto army trucks for the trip over a rough dirt road.

Around the world, nations began responding to the appeal Monday by President Paul Biya for international assistance to cope with the disaster. France sent a medical team backed by scientists on Tuesday, while two American teams were expected today or Thursday, according to the U.S. Embassy, Yaounde Radio said the United States also "gave a large sum of money' toward relief efforts. In London, British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher pledged her country's help. Cameroon was formed in' 1961 from territories once controlled by Britain and France.

In villages around the lake, every house was empty, its occupants all dead. A prepared meal was uneaten. 1 felt warm and as if I was drunk. The smell was like cooking with kitchen gas. Everyone started coughing and spitting up blood.

Survivor of Cameroon's ground forces. "Most of the people who died were killed instantaneously," said Michael Wiener, a colonel in the Israeli Army medical corps who led the 17-member team that accompanied Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres on a state visit to Cameroon. Interviewed in the provincial capital of Bamenda, Wiener said his team had not managed to reach ed," suffering only burns or shock. However, Wiener said another wave, of casualties could emerge among people who breathed small amounts of toxic gas and who could the disaster area, 70 miles to the north. But from talking with local authorities, he said the survivors "appeared to be minimally affect Searchers are now more bothered by the smell of death than by poison gas.

1,543 bodies had been counted and others were still being discovered. Israeli army medical teams dispatched to the disaster scene to IS5 "UVUI Find A Friend can i 1 help you meet interesting singles. One-to- one in a triendly dignmed manner. Its a confidential way to make your own Introductions without embarrassing yourself or anyone else. HOW IT WORKS: Just write down your own personal message on a sheet of paper and send it with the form at the bottom.

Confidential boxes will be assigned at the Bismarck Tribune. No phone numbers will appear. All replies will be mailed directly to you on a weekly basis. If you pay for three weeks, you'll get the fourth FREE. All copy is subject to approval and must be in good taste.

The deadline to Find A Friend messages is Monday at Noon. aviifc mm at i a 4 1, VCli They tore their dresses off because of the heat. They were mostly naked or half naked. Government official shallow graves near where they had fallen. "Some of them were In such a state that it was difficult to touch them," Tataw said.

Scientists speculated that steam laced with deadly gases wafted over a 10-square-mile area, burning and smothering victims, after a huge bubble of gas burst through the surface of Lake Nios at about 9 p.m. Thursday. The lemon-shaped lake lies In a basin with steep rock walls on three sides, Viewed from a helicopter Tuesday, lt had the reddish-brown color of clay churned up from the bottom. No sign of life could be seen In a lakeside village of clay brick huts. The lush green mountains and tropical forests appeared untouched.

Gideon Taka, one of the first government officials to reach the stricken area, said he found most of the victims lying dead in their front yards with their clothing ripped. "They tore their dresses off because of the heat. They were mostly naked or half naked," he said in an interview. He said the eruption occurred when many people were eating dinner. "I opened one of the rooms and In this grave, I buried eight people yesterday.

All the people, the goats, the pigs and the cows died. What surprises me is how that chicken survived. -Rescue worker saw there was food in the dishes," he said. Tataw took reporters to a two-room shack with a mound of freshly turned earth near the door and a single1 chicken strutting through the house. "In this grave, I buried eight people yesterday," he said.

"All the people, the goats, the pigs and the cows died. What surprises me Is how that chicken survived." Chal David Wambong, a farmer In his 30s, said he lost all feeling on one side of his body. "I felt warm and as If I was drunk," he said. "The smell was like cooking with kitchen gas. Everyone started coughing and spitting up blood." In Geneva, Switzerland, the United Nations Disaster Relief Organization on Tuesday reported FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION CALL 258-6900 HOW TO ANSWER A FIND A FRIEND MESSAGE: Place your message in a stamped envelope with the Box Number in the lower left hand corner and address it to Find A Friend, Bismarck Tribune, P.O.

Box 1498, Bismarck, N.D. 58502., Write your message in the space below use extra paper if necessary. FIND A FRIEND FORM tU'l 1000 Mt oSCOTNC 1st 14 Honci 0M COUHTT We will accept messages till Monday noon for the following Wednesday publication. Name Address. City State Phone Number.

Zip Or Call 258-6900 to place your message. NOTICE OF APPLICATION TO RENEW SURFACE MINE PERMIT Pimm lake noticf fftaf Knife River Coal Mining Company, Norm Kaveney Drive, Bttmarc. North Dakota SM1, hat matte application to the North Dakota Public Service CommiMton tor renewal ot Surface Wine Permit No 72 ana amendments thereto The permit area located in Section 33, I3IN ft Bowman County, North Dakota The preciM location and boundaries of land included in the permit area art depicted on the above map The area encompassing the permit contains $9 acre for reclamation. Knife River Coal Mining Company's application is on file in the office of the Director, Reclamation Division, Public Service Commission, state Capitol, Bismarck, North Dakota, and available for public inspection therein during regular business hours. Comments on this application must be submitted to the Public Service Commission within days of the last date of publication, that date being September 10, IvM The teoai descriptions and names of the apparent urtace and mineral owners of land Included w.thin the permit area are as follows: 4 Issue 4th Issue No Additional Chg.

WORDS 1 Ittut 2 Utuc 3 Uitics Up to 20 words 5.00 9.00 13.00 21 to 24 words 6.00 10.00 14.00 25 to 29 words 7.00 11.00 15.00 30 to 32 words 8.00 12.00 16.00 33 to 36 words 9.00 13.00 17.00 37 to 40 words 10.00 14.00 18.00 FOR EVERY 4 Additional word add Jl 00 Please publish 1 My Message Is Attached MINERAL OWNER Geological Survey SURFACE OWNER Kmfe River Coal Mining Co LOCATION St7 SEl4. Sec. tJ iJtN tew Bowman County Total I.

Get access to Newspapers.com

  • The largest online newspaper archive
  • 300+ newspapers from the 1700's - 2000's
  • Millions of additional pages added every month

Publisher Extra® Newspapers

  • Exclusive licensed content from premium publishers like the The Bismarck Tribune
  • Archives through last month
  • Continually updated

About The Bismarck Tribune Archive

Pages Available:
1,010,119
Years Available:
1873-2024