Lake Kivu, one of the Great African Lakes, located between DR Congo and Rwanda, is saturated with carbon dioxide and methane at depth. This poses the risk of an explosion and the formation of a toxic gas cloud, similar to what happened with lakes Nyos and Monoun in Cameroon, killing almost 1,800 people.

The researchers warn that “at 100% saturation, the lake will explode spontaneously,” adding that the explosion could kill up to 2 million people living on the lake’s shores.

It is noted that in the event of an explosion, a huge cloud of toxic gas will hang over the lake from several days to several weeks, gradually dissipating into the atmosphere.